I have a love/hate relationship with blogging.
I love that I can share my stories. I love hearing from my readers that they can relate, that they learned something or that they just enjoy reading what I have to say. I love knowing that my words are reaching people and maybe making a difference. Because this is why I started blogging in the first place, "to share myself with the world and hope that I can make a tiny bit of difference in the wide world where my children are growing and changing daily."
But I also hate it because I love it so much. Another blogger I know once proclaimed that she has three babies: the two she birthed from her body and her blog. And it's so true. I give Beyond Mommying as much as I possibly can. It is never far from my mind and I'm constantly worrying about it and checking on it. Because much like children, if left alone, nothing good will come of it.
When I started blogging, I didn't have aspirations of being huge and I didn't even know you could make money at it (for real!) And my hopes and dreams for Beyond Mommying haven't changed much, but I do want to see it thrive. And the more I put into it, the more I get out of it. I love seeing my pageviews go up. I love seeing a ton of visitors at the same time. I love knowing that I'm reaching new people and growing.
But I know that I'm not the best blogger I can be. I know I could be a better blogger, but...I have a life. And three kids.
The deeper I get into blogging, the more I realize what a commitment it is to be great. It's not just about writing a great post because that doesn't matter if you don't get anyone to read it. It takes time to share your stories and get people to read them. Time that I don't always have because I'm at gymnastics. Or ballet class. Or doing spelling with my 2nd grader.
And I've learned you can't make it alone. There is a huge community of bloggers in the world that support each other but it's not always easy to get in. And to get the support you have to share the support, which takes time. Time that I also have to spend on preparing three meals a day. And changing diapers. And doing laundry.
I could find the time to do all the things that should be done to make my blogger bigger and better. I could re-enroll my girls in school and put my toddler in childcare. I might even then be able to make enough money from blogging to cover the costs of childcare. But I'm not just a blogger that happens to be a mommy, I'm a mommy blogger. I blog about parenting. My background is working with young children and that is my passion. I am fascinated by child development and how children learn. I love spending time with my children and teaching them new things and learning from their experiences. I regularly share our daily experiences together and their growth guides my writing. What would I blog about if they weren't around?
I know I can be a more successful blogger. I know I could make it happen. I know I should put more time into it, that it would be worth it. And I would be a better blogger, BUT...my life comes first.
This post was previously published on Beyond Mommying, follow along with all my mommying adventures!