Ha, remember when I said I’d be interested in reading this even though I’m not a mom? I did enjoy this reflection very much!
You are a mom, but that isn’t all you are. (And I, for one, am glad you don’t mommy-blog the latest kid toys 😂) I think you are such an interesting person, and one of the things that makes you interesting is your perspective, and being a mom is one of the many things that shapes your perspective.
I had a train of thought and lost it, but I think my whole point was I enjoyed this, and I have wrestled with similar feelings around identity, and I think the ability to deeply reflect about ourselves is a beautiful part of life.
YES I do remember this. I actually thought of that while finishing this up, like “well Amanda at least said she’d read it!” 😂
appreciate all of this 🫶 I was following the train! I think regardless of our many identities, there’s something around being put into boxes or whatever many of us can relate to.
I think parenting is exactly where you belong, and I think this conversation is really important in the parenting sphere. I am on the rising board for parenting sometimes too (sorry to brag) and have the same wobble. I do write about parenting and about mum life almost primarily, but I also come at it sometimes from angles that don't fit into what I think of as being "true" parenting content. For example I'll write about celeb gossip at times but through my lens as a mum - not as a gimmick but because of how my brain frames everything now. And it's parent-ish but is is deserving of the parenting label? To put myself anywhere else on here would feel like a lie, but I do think the "parenting" label is heavy on here sometimes.
(I actually would be quite happy with a straight up "blogger" label, because the other thing that gets me is describing what I do as writing "a newsletter". Every time the words leave my mouth there's a little voice in my head like bitch please, it's a BLOG)
This is the piece I've been trying to write in my own head for months. The idea that motherhood isn't a topic, it's a lens. That it colors everything without being the thing you're always talking about. I feel this so deeply. I'm not a 'mommy blogger' either, and yet everything I write is shaped by the fact that I am one. Thank you for putting words to this, Julie.
I also feel that Substack categories are bad and force you to pick something (s) that maybe doesn't resonate 100% 😎 either way very interesting to hear your thoughts on the identity piece. I, as a person who will never have kids, will probably never experience such a profound new "lens" in which I view the world. There will be different lenses, like my dad dying, or if my husband ever dies (he won't), but I'm not sure there's anything in the same ballpark as becoming a parent.
I love this and relate so much! I often joke that unfortunately my interests and personality are just incompatible with a clear, clean personal brand like sorrrrryyy i just cannot be contained! (to the detriment of my own success 🙃 )))
Ha, remember when I said I’d be interested in reading this even though I’m not a mom? I did enjoy this reflection very much!
You are a mom, but that isn’t all you are. (And I, for one, am glad you don’t mommy-blog the latest kid toys 😂) I think you are such an interesting person, and one of the things that makes you interesting is your perspective, and being a mom is one of the many things that shapes your perspective.
I had a train of thought and lost it, but I think my whole point was I enjoyed this, and I have wrestled with similar feelings around identity, and I think the ability to deeply reflect about ourselves is a beautiful part of life.
p.s. 💙🧡
YES I do remember this. I actually thought of that while finishing this up, like “well Amanda at least said she’d read it!” 😂
appreciate all of this 🫶 I was following the train! I think regardless of our many identities, there’s something around being put into boxes or whatever many of us can relate to.
I think parenting is exactly where you belong, and I think this conversation is really important in the parenting sphere. I am on the rising board for parenting sometimes too (sorry to brag) and have the same wobble. I do write about parenting and about mum life almost primarily, but I also come at it sometimes from angles that don't fit into what I think of as being "true" parenting content. For example I'll write about celeb gossip at times but through my lens as a mum - not as a gimmick but because of how my brain frames everything now. And it's parent-ish but is is deserving of the parenting label? To put myself anywhere else on here would feel like a lie, but I do think the "parenting" label is heavy on here sometimes.
(I actually would be quite happy with a straight up "blogger" label, because the other thing that gets me is describing what I do as writing "a newsletter". Every time the words leave my mouth there's a little voice in my head like bitch please, it's a BLOG)
Here for any and all things that you feel called to write about! 🫶🏻
This is the piece I've been trying to write in my own head for months. The idea that motherhood isn't a topic, it's a lens. That it colors everything without being the thing you're always talking about. I feel this so deeply. I'm not a 'mommy blogger' either, and yet everything I write is shaped by the fact that I am one. Thank you for putting words to this, Julie.
I also feel that Substack categories are bad and force you to pick something (s) that maybe doesn't resonate 100% 😎 either way very interesting to hear your thoughts on the identity piece. I, as a person who will never have kids, will probably never experience such a profound new "lens" in which I view the world. There will be different lenses, like my dad dying, or if my husband ever dies (he won't), but I'm not sure there's anything in the same ballpark as becoming a parent.
I love this and relate so much! I often joke that unfortunately my interests and personality are just incompatible with a clear, clean personal brand like sorrrrryyy i just cannot be contained! (to the detriment of my own success 🙃 )))