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Blog: Positives and Negatives of the Grind

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cultureshocktv.blogspot
I've been a little preoccupied as of late.  School is keeping us all very busy and my days with Babe are picking up as volunteering at the school is underway now.  Most things, thankfully I can do from home.  Shoot an email, call it in, or simply plug away at updates are mainly time consuming details, which, praise God, are only tedious, rather than actually difficult.

So my blogging has suffered.  Sorry for that.  Things have been happening all around us, things to blog on, things to contemplate and I haven't posted them.  I've got this thing stuck on my mind, and I'm not sure exactly how to take it, and being a blogger myself, has me really focusing on purpose, intent and overall goal of blogging all together.

I read this post on Faith and Family and it got me to thinking, when others read my posts, what are the reactions.  I do mostly post positive, uplifting, or (I hope) inspirational type of posts.  However, this F&F post got me to thinking.  Should I post all or some of the negative, day in and day out struggles of a Stay at Home Mom at Work?   When a post is written should it be in the form of negativity, complaint or a laundry list of moans and groans that come with the job? 

Is only posting on topics of positivity simply giving an unrealistic view of my daily grind? 

I would hope that readers of F&F who struggle reading positive posts of bloggers out there, would realize, no one's life is perfect.  No one's life.  Not mine.  Not yours.  And if reading positive posts makes a mother overly critical of her own mothering, lifestyle choices or vocation, then I would suggest she take a long hard look at her lack of confidence and self esteem / worth, and realize, no one is perfect.  There is no one way to be Mother.  We all choose the kind of mothering that we feel we are called to. 

One Mom might bake and cook like a professional.  One Mom might keep it simple and healthy.  One Mom might love the outdoors, another might find super interesting crafts to do inside.  The list is endless, but the point remains the same.

I could certainly post on some of the negatives in my life.  Again, no one is perfect.  We all make mistakes, we all suffer with temper tantrums of children and so on, however, is that really what people want to read about?  I get it, that it would make me and perhaps other bloggers out there more relateable.  More like that girlfriend who can sit and hash out all the negatives of the hum drum daily life with all it's ups and downs.

However, as a blogger, we get to choose our blog.  We get to pick and pull from our very own lives, what we want to share with those clicking into our site.  Does it paint a picture perfect scenario?  I would hope and pray that readers would know, that with every positive uplifting post, there is an equal amount of the depressing, negative or complaining that I simply choose not to share. 

When I look back at this blog, and the over 200 posts that I have accumulated, I don't want to look back at negatives.  I don't want my kids to one day, read my posts and see how their family life was, and see, gosh was I really that awful of a kid?  Did Mom really hate being a Mom.  No.  Because overall, I know, I love being a Mom.  I will have hard days, of course.  But I never, never, want my children to think even for a minute that I didn't love my job, my vocation, or caring for them, and all their needs.

Looking at the big picture of blogging, I might paint a rosey picture of family life.  But that's my choice.  I get to do that.  I get to pick out the fantastic parts of my vocation, or of family life, that I want to remember, or want my kids to remember.  Do I really want to set into stone some negatives into the permanency that is the internet?  No.  I don't.   Does that make you think our family life is perfect?

Let me be frank.  It's not perfect.  It never will be.  But I can say, that we Work at it.  Every.  Day.  We work at it.  We try to be better than we once were. 

The absolutely fantastic part of it all, is that I get to highlight what I think is worthy of highlighting.  If you enjoy reading positive, uplifting or (I hope) inspirational posts on family life, child formation or living a happy Catholic family life, then read on.  This won't change.  (Become a follower, subscribe to RSS feed or 'like' on Facebook).

If I dwell on the negative, it all becomes negative, and that's exactly what Satan wants.  He wants us to highlight and complain about all the duties of our lives.....so that we are depressed, unhappy with the vocation God has given us.  Guess what?  I am not unhappy with my life.  Yes, sometimes it's hard.  But I'm not one to complain about a God given gift.  No way.  Not gonna happen.  I seek to fulfill, with prayer and with the grace of God, my duties as Mother, as Wife, as Daughter of God.  I might not always smile about the tasks I must complete, but to highlight negatives in such a public forum, to me, basically tells God, guess what, I don't like the life you've given me. 

I never want to look a gift horse in the mouth.  If I am not relateable: sorry.  I am not called to trash my life.  I love my life, and if my positive posts make a reader uncomfortable with their own life, don't read my blog.  Set in motion a real concrete plan to make your life what you want it to be.  It's up to you.
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Comments

Anonymous said…
I love reading your blog and find it very interesting and inspirational! I think it is nice to see you focus on the positive and good things in life rather than dwelling on the negative.
October 22, 2010 at 3:11 PM
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