Monday, January 7, 2008

Weekend of Blogs

This weekend I had a chance to read a lot of blogs. My husband had a whole day off, which doesn't happen very often, and while he played with the boys and Emily was napping, I had a chance to do some "research".

I call it research because I want to write professionally someday, and it helps to get exposure to different approaches and styles, while I continue to develop my own writing voice.

I love reading. When single and living alone, I would get lost in huge novels on weekends and holidays, reading until three or four in the morning, then sleeping a little and reading again. If it was a particularly good novel, I would barely eat until I finished it. Inevitably, when the last page had been read, I would feel let down, like my best friend moved away. Can you relate?

Since becoming a mom six years ago, I have read two lengthy novels. Yes, that's right, two. Why only two? Well, both times, my husband changed diapers, fixed food, and pretty much did everything else, too, because I couldn't pull myself away from my book. No self-discipline. This isn't a "novel" stage of life for me. I really envy people who can read a chapter a night, then close the book and go to sleep. Totally incomprehensible to me.

Magazines have been the answer for me these past couple of years, as well as online news. I can still read, which relaxes me, and I'm guaranteed to be done in about ninety minutes, when I've gotten to the last page of the magazine.

Blogs have their own appeal. In fact, I might be getting addicted. Previously, I read one blog a week, faithfully, but didn't browse beyond that. Now, after having spent a weekend browsing, I see that the "characters" in a blog can become like story characters in my mind. Each post is another glimpse into the mind of the characters, adding more depth and building more interest. The draw is similar to that of a novel, but delivered in mommy-manageable chunks.

Perhaps the reason so many moms get addicted is because, universally, we moms only have ten minutes here and there to ourselves, and rarely do we have enough adult contact in our daily life. The average family moves within five years. Neighbors change frequently - hence, no one is coming over for coffee. Moreover, if we phone someone to connect, the kids are surely to employ their antics to embarrass us, forcing us to cut the call short.

In contrast, mommy blogs are short, two-minute connections to other women, initiated at the MOST convenient times, without the hassle of accommodating the other mom's schedule. Frequently, these are woman who feel, experience, long for, and laugh at many of the same things. The overwhelming feeling one comes away with is - Phew! I'm not alone. Good.

2 comments:

Jolyn said...

I just found you through Betsy Shaw's blog, which I hadn't read in a coon's age but went to again for some reason. You really hit the nail on the head in this entry, about why we mommy types at home so enjoy the blog world and what it can do for us. I, too, can stay up until 2 am reading a good book, and I often find it better not to pick up the novel in the first place ...

Christine said...

So glad you stopped by Jolyn!