People used to read blogs. We had our favorite bloggers and followed every scrap they put out. I followed some of the early “Mommy Bloggers” who amassed huge followings, of course. Dooce. Rage Against the Minivan. SO many others I’ve forgotten.
I also followed lots of every day moms just trying to get by. Inspired by those “regular” moms, I started blogging myself.
My blogging origin story
I started Last Mom in 2010, about six months after I became an instant first time mom to a nine-year-old with big emotional needs. I was inspired by others who were sharing their stories of foster care and adoption online. Writing has always been how I processed life, and I had a LOT to process!
I wrote near daily about trauma, attachment, “challenging” behavior, child mental health, and just our daily lives for years. I called my daughter “Princess” on the blog, which just goes to show how I was still getting to know her when I started it. “Princess” doesn’t really fit. She’s a warrior, a ninja, a magnificent and deep creature.
I referred to my then husband as “Hubster.” We’ve been divorced for five years now. This is a good thing! A wonderful thing.
We read blogs!
People read blogs in the twenty-teens. (Is that how we say it? “Twenty-teens”?)
People read my blog.
No, I didn’t have a following like Dooce or Rage Against the Mini Van. I wasn’t headline conferences and getting book deals.
But I earned a living with Last Mom. I made money via sponsored posts, affiliate links, and ad revenue that contributed a lot to supporting our household. I was the main income earner. The rest of my earnings came from freelance writing.
The end of Last Mom
Trying to keep anonymity to protect my daughter while also writing parents articles across the web and in print, got really trick. Then she became a full fledged teenager and so many other kids became entwined in her stories. And life just got really hard for a long time.
So I stopped writing.
I held on to the domain for a long time, even after it went dormant. My plan was to take the material and put it into books. I wrote pretty much daily for five years.
But in the end, I stopped paying for it. Last Mom has officially been gone for a couple years now. I didn’t safe any of it. Sometimes I regret that.
There’s lots more to say about all of this. And I plan to get there, to say it.
I need to write.
I’ve tried to start blogging regularly again several times since my divorce. I didn’t quite mind my footing with it. But now I’m feeling called to write. To share. Process. Reflect. To be a place for others to read and say, “OMG! Me too! I thought I was the only one!”
Do do we still read blogs? Will you read mine?
