It never fails. I get in a conversation with another blogger and they’ll say “Well, you’re just another mom blogger.” I’ll receive an email from a network, “We’re looking for the best mommy bloggers around!” Even my friends who don’t know a lot about the blogging world have referenced it, “That is so cool that you’re a mom blogger, how’d you get started, I’d love to try too!”
The things is. I’m not a mom blogger!
Yes I am a mom. Yes I am a blogger. That does not automatically place me in the niche of “mommy blogger.” Actually, I write a lifestyle blog with a positive life focus and message. My blog is all about finding the small things in life that make us smile and doing what we enjoy. It’s all about taking a tough situation and finding the silver lining. My blog is about all aspects of me, not just my extremely fantastic mom skills.
Here’s the deal. I have nothing against mom bloggers. They are marvelous, knowledgeable and extremely talented at communicating the details about being a mom. But that’s just it. A mom blogger writes about being a mom, my posts about being a mom are only a small percentage of what I write about. I’ve learned so many fantastic tips from them, and still do to this day. But not all moms who blog are mom bloggers. Just like you wouldn’t say oh, that’s a Mom Banker or a Mom Lawyer. Over here we have a Mom Scientist. I am a blogger within a specific lifestyle focus and that focus is not on parenting or even my kids.
Yes, I do write about my kids sometimes, because they make me happy and I love sharing positive aspects of my life with you. But, if you take some time to scroll through my blog, you’ll see that a lot, maybe even most of the posts don’t have anything to do with my kids or even me being a mom.
When my first daughter was born I started up my very own mom blog. The good, the bad, the baby. It was my first attempt at blogging and I was excited. Yes, I did start out as a mom blogger and I loved it. It gave me a break from the everyday tasks and gave me an outlet to share my stories and thoughts about being a parent. There were and are many many many more quality mom bloggers than what I was putting out, but it was my first blog and I had no idea what I was doing other than sharing my story.
Eventually I started Living a Sunshine Life and I didn’t know where I was going. I did start writing a bit about the kids, but I knew right away this was my blog and I didn’t want to focus on the kids. A chance for me to get out of the mom tunnel vision. I missed being me instead of mom all the time. Being mom is a huge undertaking and it’s nice to go back to the closet of my mind and put one of my other hats on for a change.
This blog has taught me a lot. But the biggest thing I’ve learned from it is how to be me again. I’ve learned how to explore and discover new things about me. I’ve come to realize that I’ve grown up and things I loved before I had kids aren’t always as exciting, but I’ve also made new discoveries of my interests. I’ve grown in my business and marketing skills, my writing skills and even in photography. I’ve learned how to take on new recipe or craft ideas and I’ve met some amazing people.
So, no, I’m not a mom blogger any more. Living a Sunshine Life has never been a mom blog. It’s just not my niche. Will I write a mom blog some day? Maybe, possibly, probably not, but I won’t shut the door on that idea yet. Will Living a Sunshine Life ever be a mom blog? Nope. It may morph and change a bit, but the vision will ultimately be the same. A blog about being happy, smiling and finding the silver lining of life.
Remember that not all mothers who blog are mom bloggers. Look at their work. Look at what they are really communicating in their blog stories. Read several posts and see what the common thread is. If you’re not sure, I bet they even have an about section you can use to gain some insight. Bloggers don’t like to be lumped into one category, and they really don’t like it when you assume they are a mom blog. Not because mom blogs are a bad thing, they’re not. But when you work so hard to share a message only to have it ignored and classified into a niche you don’t even belong to, well, that would upset anyone.
What are your favorite types of blogs to read? Do you love mom blogs? Food blogs? Craft and DIY blogs? Or maybe lifestyle blogs like I write that sort of lump it all into one with a common thread. Share your thoughts in the comments below.
I’m right there with you. I’ve been blogging for many years, and only recently have I become a “mom” who also blogs. Yes my blog has taken a turn in topics because of the change in my life, but that doesn’t make me a “mommy blogger” since I am more than that.
I’ve never been one who likes labels anyway, but sometimes they do help, at least in finding a tribe or other bloggers similar in niche so you can love on each other’s content and bounce ideas off of each other. When the content is too different or doesn’t apply to you, then it becomes harder to share or create authentic comments because it’s just not where you are in life. I’m not a mommy blogger, so commenting on car seat reviews or how to handle baby spit up isn’t where I am in life. I was there…but now I’m not 😉 Blogging is ever evolving it seems.