Complete Exploitation and Plagiarism
Posted by Heather in Alabamer public edjumacation done taught me to read, This Mom GigSince mommy blogger critics have nothing better to do with their time than accuse us of exploiting our children, I decided to give them more ammunition. It’s all part of my spiritual lessons of Fake Lent – I’m sacrificing things in order to give to others.
Of course, I don’t even know if I’m a mommy blogger. What does that mean anyway? I have kids, I have a blog. And?
Maybe I should post the video of Parker playing his guitar, singing a song he made up just for me and that will confirm my status as a mommy blogger.
Or maybe I should post the draft I’m holding about Brazilian wax jobs and my denuded hoo-haa and confirm myself as an…uncouth blogger?
Shit, you know how I feel about labels. It’s part of the problem I have with drinking the Brand Your Blog kool-aid. I don’t like being boxed into this type of blog or that. I don’t know how my readers can come to expect a certain anything from my blog when I never know what the hell will come out of my fingers. Will it be funny? Introspective? Shallow? Boring? Vulgar? Or will I be introspectively shallow and funny all at the same time just to see if you can catch the hidden moral of the story? Who knows!
But they do say if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, so here’s a post, specifically written to exploit my children, so much so that I’m going to plagiarize* Payton. (I hope I’m keeping you on your toes with this utter mommyblog entry.)
The following is Payton’s journal entry, dated February 4, 2009:
I hate everything
I want to go home! I want to do my homework here! Please…badly! Very badly! Very very badly! I want to play games and go outside. I want to pet Gabby. I want to watch the birds. I hate everything at school that’s what I mean.
Is it me, or do you get the feeling Payton hates everything at school?
I’m relieved he added going outside and birds and stuff after he mentioned playing games. I’d hate for everyone to know how many video games I actually let that kid play.
I’m proud of his use of ellipses, which I believe goes to show video games will not make you dumb. Ellipses are such a…useful writing tool, even if you aren’t…sure how to properly use it. Hmm…it sorta, reminds me, of commas.
While I find this journal entry, um, interesting and just a tad bit discerning, I quite frankly think it’s much more tame than what we’ve seen in the past. No broken glass symbolism or dead on the inside analogies this time. Or is it broken glass analogies and dead on the inside symbolism? Oh, like anyone cares.
Given the toned-down drama of this most recent journal entry, at least in comparison to the past, I wonder if Payton is beginning to lose some of his dramatic flair.
I sure as hell hope so, though I bet the liquor store is crying over their loss in sales revenue.
*I realize since I gave Payton credit for the work, it isn’t really plagiarism, but whatever, you damn grammar police. What are you doing on my blog anyway?
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I completely agree with Payton. And personally, I come to your blog for great writing. It doesn’t matter to me what you write about.
Payton’s journal entry could have been mine at a few points in my life (shoe salesperson? what was I thinking?)
And the whole mommy blogger thing? Why don’t they do that with anything else? What if I was single and had 30 cats? Would I be the crazy cat lady blogger? Or the two glasses of wine a night blogger?
And too bad about the martini picture – it’s my fave.
Have you considered opening up a little side-blog for Payton? Then you’d REALLY be exploiting him. Although in a way journaling might be something he’d enjoy if he got to write about whatever he wanted…a way to prevent school from turning writing and reading into something boring and pointless to him (do you like my ellipse use there?). You could password protect it for him.
I agree about refusing to be boxed in or categorized as a certain type of blog. I am a mother of grown children, with grandkids. My life does not revolve totally around them. I have many interests as I am sure you do as well. Keep up the good work.
Coco
Am I a mommy blogger. I never really talk about my kid in my blogs, not that he isn’t interesting. I bet after this post, I write about him all the time. Well, not on my professional blog, that’s a grown folk blog, but maybe on my personal blog. Great post!
Sounds like Payton’s frustrated with school, but doing a good job of identifying the things that will counter-balance that frustration.
What’s the point of having children unless you can exploit them on the internet? It’s so 1980s to just use them to set the table and mow the lawn.
I think you maintain a good mix of blogging things. But if you do go the uncouth route please illustrate your details with photographs.
Sounds like Payton is doing great!
Your comments on pigeon holing yourself as a particular type of blogger really ring true with me – something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately as I ponder my blogging future – every piece of advice out there about how to grow your blog pertains mostly to those catering to a particular niche – my life, and my blog are not all neat and tidy like that – I can’t do ‘niche’
I never knew I was exploiting my kids. I just thought I was being a proud mama who needed to be able to laugh about the silly stuff they did/do. And then there’s all this “exploiting” talk and I’m like WTH? And then I got all worried. But I remembered what, I think it was Megan at Blissdom said, about writing about what you talk about with the people you interact with. I talk about my kids and healthy doses of other stuff. So for me, I feel I’m on the right track as far as my personal, non-labeled blog goes. It’s a mishmash of everything. Sometimes more heavily “mommyblog” than others. And I’m just fine with that.
I have kid and blog – I didn’t know that made me a mommy blogger. Something about the required sex change scares me.
Of course my kid has flown the coup and so gets no word play. Maybe that saves me. {*grin*}
I don’t give a f**k what the critics say, mommies deserve to write whatever they want. Trust me, our kids our gonna write plenty about us when they’re old enough.
I love Payton. My son once told his doctor that he wanted to turn her into a chicken.
Also, about this commentless Wednesday thing. AAAAH. It’s a great concept, lets the readers “off the hook”, same for the blogger, yada yada, but I SO wanted to comment yesterday. It’s part of my contrary personality, or maybe it’s just that the whole post really resonated with me. So I am cheating the system by telling you today instead.
Love your blog too.
Would it be super weird if I said I would really like you to post the wax post? I’m thinking of getting one soon and am looking for honest opinions! And, I’ve always been the same as Payton…and I’m graduating from college in 2.5 months. He’ll make it.
I don’t get the voice thing….I just write and don’t worry about where I fall I guess. I do talk about my girls alot – because I got nothing else to offer. I’m so lame sometime.
I was all excited about the Brazilian wax reference but then I realized that I have no idea what “denuded” means. And now I’m all cranky because I feel stupid. So fucking thanks a LOT.