But then, sometimes, I look at my own imperfect life and wonder why it doesn't look like what I see on these blogs. The answer, obviously, is that blogs only show a small fraction of a life. Some bloggers intentionally only post the beautiful side of their lives, because they want to bring something lovely to others to enjoy. Similarly, I like to use this blog to share the joy, love, and fun of my family.
I find that I need to remind myself that everyone faces their challenges, just like me. Even Ashley Ann, who writes the most beautiful and uplifting posts on Under the Sycamore, and whose family is almost incomprehensibly loving, provides occasional hints about the personal challenges that she faces. I read a post recently where she celebrated the fact that her youngest daughter, who is roughly the same age as my son, had used a spoon for the first time. Her daughter is adopted and had cleft palate, which has been repaired. But even since the repair, eating has been a challenge, and her daughter has never used eating utensils. That must have been very, very difficult. But you would have a hard time finding any negativity in Ashley Ann's posts.
I admire these bloggers' commitment to sharing something lovely with the world. They certainly bring happiness and peace to my own life. But I also think that a dose of reality is sometimes important, like in this post. Over the next few weeks, I'm going to discuss some more difficult topics, including parenting burnout and work-life balance, because I think they are very important. I hope that you will join me in this conversation so that we can learn from each other. And don't worry - I plan to alternate these more difficult posts with the fun family stories and photos that I normally post, so that we don't get bogged down.
Are you ready??
