On January 15th, there was an article written on Salon.com about a woman and her Mormon Housewife Blog Addiction.Overnight, there were literally hundreds of responses from Mormon Mommy Bloggers and after a week or so, it became obvious that people were waiting to hear our response.
We had reporters from the Wall Street Journal and CNN contact us. We had bloggers emailing us, waiting to hear our "official response". Elisa even gave a live interview on KSL, but how could we possibly convey all of out thoughts and feelings in just three minutes?
Then we got a call from ABC's Nightline. Turns out, they are very interested in the phenomenon of Mormon Mommy Blogging and they want to know all about it.
WHY do people read Mormon blogs?
WHY do they read Mommy blogs?
And, if they are NOT a Mormon, and they are NOT a Mommy, why would they be interested in reading these types of blogs at all?
Well, WE know why... so let's start at the beginning.
There is always a backlash to those women who dare to call themselves "mommy bloggers". They want to be food bloggers, and craft bloggers, and lifestyle bloggers, and photographers. They are offended by the term "mommy blogger" and every day, you'll read something from someone who's feelings are hurt because a PR person or a brand or even someone at church, called them a "mommy blogger."
To-may-to. To-mah-to.
If you have kids, you're a mommy. If you have a blog, you're a blogger. Add the two together and you get a great big umbrella, that houses quite a lot of us. Do we mind being called Mommy Bloggers? No. Because we are mothers FIRST. The blogger part comes in second or third or even fourth. The actual Salon.com article was well written... and it was dead on.
It was also referring to one, particular GENRE of Mormon mommy bloggers.
Are Mormon Mommy Bloggers frilly and happy and all about their kids?
Yes.
Are they also well educated, professional, successful career women?
You betcha.
You see, the fun thing about Mormon Mommy Bloggers is that we are a talented bunch of women, made up of many different backgrounds, who know what we are supposed to be doing. We see the divine role in our every day lives, and we strive to embrace it. We love our families, our husbands, our homes, our faith... and we're not afraid to say it.
According to the world, Mormon Mommy Bloggers have got it all backwards.
You're supposed to go to college, have a successful career, get married maybe when you're thirty or so, and then in a few years, maybe you'll have a baby... two, if you're lucky.
MMB-ers generally have our families first. We struggle through college while we're pregnant. We raise babies and work on our thesis at naptime. We finish school, and put our careers on hold because we recognize that childhood only lasts a few precious years.
We choose to put our families first, and we make no apologies for it.
We don't spend our twenties trying to "find" ourselves.... We know who we are.
We are daughters of a Heavenly Father, who loves us, and we love Him.
The ABC Nightline Producer admitted that he is drawn to Mormon Mommy Blogs.
"I am really curious about this phenomenon. Because, as I have started reading these Mormon Blogs that I have found - they are really well written and well... I actually ENJOY them."
He was genuinely surprised to find that he would like reading a Mormon Housewife's blog.
We discussed how one non-LDS reader relayed to us that in her circle of friends, moms were embarrassed to say that they stayed home to take care of their children. They were ashamed to say the words out loud, particularly when they have an education. Society tells these women that they are wasting their lives, that they could be doing great and important things. They don't see the value in what it is that they are doing.
This reader loves to read Mormon mommy blogs, because they celebrate her life choice. They were proud to stay home with their kids, and they freely admit how hard it can be, but also, how rewarding that choice is at the end of each and every day.
We told the producer that it's easy to learn about people through their blogs. You are getting to peek inside their homes, you are getting to see how other people are living. And not only that, but those Mormons, that you've only heard weird myths about, are out there, talking, and you're finding, that they are regular people. These are regular women, who you admire. These are people just. like. you.
Some of them stay at home, some of them work. But they do it all with a grace and greater understanding of their purpose.
The producer said he was really excited about talking to Mormons, because they usually only do pieces on Catholics, and Christians....
And we said: "We ARE Christians."
We explained that we belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and that a common misconception is that we don't worship Christ. We are nicknamed Mormons because of the Book of Mormon, and not because of who or what we worship. We believe in God, the eternal Father. We believe in his son, Jesus Christ. We embrace Christ.
Not only do we embrace Christ, but we embrace His teachings, and our readers FEEL that in their hearts.
When they read our blogs, they FEEL good.
The goodness emanates from Mormon Mommy Blogs, because we embrace the teachings and principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
We choose to focus on the positive. We choose to take even the worst of days, and learn something from it.
We choose the good part.
When we write about our personal struggles, we do so in a respectful and uplifting way. Yes, we struggle with depression. Yes, we argue with our husbands. Yes, our children even drive us nuts.... But through all of that, the readers of Mormon mommy blogs feel the love.
They see the truthfulness of the lives that we are leading.
They feel the Holy Spirit, entering their homes, and entering their hearts, through your blogs.
Mormon Mommy Bloggers are a powerful force for good in this world, and they are spreading that goodness by sharing their lives through their blogs.
We can't tell you whether or not ABC's Nightline is going to share our story... but we can tell you how amazing it was to get to share ours.
And THAT, my friends, is why people are REALLY reading Mormon mommy blogs.
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Elisa and Caroline
