Creating a Blogging Community

By Cassie

Aiden started swimming lessons this week. I love taking him to classes and lessons of all sorts. Getting him all dressed up, doing my hair, feeling like a real mom. Wearing pearls and watching my son jump into the pool. Laughing with other mothers over coffee and making connections.

I showed up to swimming lessons with high expectations I suppose. I expected to be brought in to this circle of mom friends. However, the other parents are close to my mother’s age. They have their own friends. They have worked hard to create connections with each other and build trust. I am twenty years younger than many of them. I work hard to keep my house clean and see my friends on a regular basis. So I stood there and drank my coffee. I watched my son and cheered him on.

I thank God that I started blogging. The connections I have made with other mothers in the blogosphere are some of the only “mom friends” that I have. I am not sure how I survived without the amazing women that support me.

I wanted to say thank-you to all of you. I attended Blissfully Brainstorming last night. It was brought to us by Mrs. Fussypants and Blissfully Domestic. We discussed the need for community in blogging. The need for a positive strong community. I want to start this out right by working on sharing comment love. I will be joining The Sits Girls since we know they do comment love right! Also, anyone who comments on this post or on my blog I will leave a comment on your blog.

Cassie blogs at MessyFunMommyLife.

11 Responses to Creating a Blogging Community
  1. melissa
    July 18, 2009 | 4:30 am

    i can totally agree….so far other mommy friends are virtual found through blogs which i am unlikely to meet as Ilive in Europe but have found a lot of help from them. I too am a member of sits and love meeting all the different ppl in that community

  2. edj
    July 18, 2009 | 7:04 am

    Community is one of my fav things about blogging too! I love the feeling of having friends all over the world, and I am more current on my virtual friends’ lives than a lot of IRL friends!

    I, too, can relate to how hard it can be to make friends with other moms in public places. Sometimes it happens, but it’s rare. Friendship is a rare and beautiful thing that can’t be found just for the asking, no matter what our mothers told us.

  3. Courtney
    July 18, 2009 | 9:55 am

    I have to agree with you! I am a 23 year old mom of 2 (soon to be 3. I am married but yet i find that i am often alone when it comes to mommy things around town. Most mom’s are older than me and see me as too young.

    I love the community i have found through blogging. All the different moms, dads, and even grandmas. All of them are so accepting and loving. They share their wisdom and i take it all in. We support each other when no one else is there to support us.

    Thank you for sharing this post!

  4. Sandy
    July 18, 2009 | 10:33 am

    I couldn’t agree more! Just for the summer I am a SAHM (I teach in the fall) and I wouldn’t survive without my fellow mommy bloggers. I, too, haven’t made those kinds of connections in real life. I’m 38, and all of my best friends and siblings had their kids ages ago.

  5. Carrie
    July 18, 2009 | 12:30 pm

    I know what you mean – the moms at my local park are the same, they’re all neighbors & friends & we live 5 miles out in the country, so when we go, they all look at me, like, “Who is that?” But, yeah, the online community saves my sanity. 🙂

  6. Donna~ Blessed Nest
    July 18, 2009 | 9:18 pm

    Hey Cassie- I am so glad to be a part of your virtual life..hehe I have a few Mom friends in real life but value the on-line connection as well. It is likely to find someone going through a Mom trial on-line when a real life Mom friend may not relate! xo

    By the way LOVE your new site.

  7. Mary
    July 18, 2009 | 9:44 pm

    Although I am an extrovert, I’m (very) shy in new situations and I find small talk challenging. As you might imagine meeting new moms can be very difficult for me. I’ll go somewhere for moms and their babies, be totally surrounded by moms and not even manage to make eye contact with anyone. Luckily other moms in my area are friendly so I’ve made some friends despite myself.

  8. Beachcomber
    July 19, 2009 | 3:03 am

    When I first had my son, I joined a local Mother’s Club so I could meet other Mom’s. Now that he is in elementary school I have made a lot of Mom friends of kids in his grade. I have made quite a few online friends as well.

  9. The Gang's Momma
    July 19, 2009 | 2:39 pm

    Community between bloggers is one of the very best things about blogging for me, also. As an adoptive mom, it was one of the things that helped me wait for my Li’l Empress. As a mom to a special needs child (that same little one) now it informs and supports and encourages me regularly. Many of my “real life” folks don’t get the draw of that for me.

    However, I do have to say that lately I’ve been feeling that it is so important that we be purposefully and intentionally developing new, in the flesh, real life community with those around us also. It’s harder in many ways, because it requires coordination of calendars, trying new things, and dropping of masks. Among so many other things, for me!

    But if we truly believe that God has placed us in our physical communities where we live for the purposes of bringing the Good News to the world in which we live, then we must also be willing to put ourselves out there and build relationship with those neighbors. In our physical community, in our kids’ schools, in our churches.

    It’s way harder in many ways, but the fact of the matter is that God never intended virtual hugs to replace the physical touch of one mom to another in comfort or camaraderie.

    That’s the balance we all must find in this journey!

  10. Sara Joy
    July 19, 2009 | 9:02 pm

    Hi Cassie!
    I can completely understand. I hate being the outsider, it stinks, so yay for the internets where we can all feel welcome. Thanks for sharing. 🙂

  11. Hannah
    July 20, 2009 | 5:18 pm

    Hey Cassie,
    I definitely know that feeling of being an outsider at my kids’ lessons. It feels like back in junior high sometimes! Good for you for taking your son anyway.
    Hannah

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