Bravo, Mrs. Hall!

In case you haven't had a chance to get on the internet lately, This Post was recently penned by a concerned mom on her personal blog. With a normal readership of 19 or 20, and comment numbers in the single digits, she couldn't possibly have predicted the response that brought tens of thousands of people to her blog. In addition, hundreds of responses, like this one popped up online. Most comments I have read are pretty critical. Some are down right rude. Poor Mrs. Hall, I empathize with you! Even though I am raising 2 girls and a boy instead of 2 boys and a girl, I share your need to be acutely involved with what my kids are doing online and with the group of "friends" they associate with (online & in person)!!

When us Moms post to our blogs, we often aren't worried about being PC or addressing things in a general or neutral nature. We post with a viewpoint that is often skewed by our experiences. When I post about the state of the educational system in America, I write based on my experiences as a previous student and now a Mom to children in that very system. I don't spend time mulling over how to present the content as neutrally as I can or how to relate it to everyone on the planet - and maybe that's why I am writing a Mom blog and not for the Times. I relate my content to my real life. I am probably not living the same real life that you are. In my world, we don't always do things the PC way - because at the end of the day, reality just doesn't work that way with our children.

We don't get to say "shut up" in our house. We wear helmets when we ride our bikes or rollarblade (much to our daughters' disgust). We don't allow our children on facebook or twitter or instagram (gasp! I know). When we help to pave the path our children will begin their life's journey on, we do so within the parameters of our own values. That's not to say that you can't have very different values. You can! That's why America is so grand! But our children will be lead down the path that we think is best - just like you will lead your children down the path that YOU deem best. If we will meet up on the same path, FANTASTIC! If we'll simply wave to you from a distance, that's ok too! We're all parents, and danggit, we have GOT to stick together!!

I would personally like to give Mrs. Hall a huge "BRAVO!!!!" for bringing this topic to the forefront and getting people all over the WORLD talking about it. Even if there are droves of people walking different paths and subscribing to different values, we're making a collective noise that is bringing awareness. I consider that a win for Moms everywhere!!