Where I’m Headed

Conversations with and blog posts by my friend Erin at the Mother Load (soon to be a brand-new .com by another name) have caused me to do some serious thinking about my own blog lately. Erin is seriously pushing herself to break down barriers she puts in her own way, to worry less about being nice, and to move forward with confidence. In doing so, she’s pushing herself, her blog, and her writing in a new direction – and her followers are going there with her.

During one email conversation, Erin said something that stopped me in my tracks a bit. I’d responded to one of her blog posts saying that my goal was to find a new balance. I used to err on the side of being too brash and now I think I am too safe. Erin’s response: You could NEVER be too bold or too brash. This was said kindly and she meant this to soothe me, but it made my stomach go to my throat a bit. Suddenly, I took a long look at my blog and thought  “this space is too safe. I am not expressing all of me.” You see, in real life I can be brash and bold – and I think that’s a good thing.

I don’t have any plans to totally rework my blog – I believe that this space is true to who I am, speaking to my daily thoughts and struggles, dedicated to my family life, and sharing reviews and giveaways of products that I find valuable. But I think I need to trust my readers more, because there are other things on my mind, topics that weigh on my heart, difficult issues that are definitely gray that I resist delving into. In so many places in my life I’ve shrugged off my fears and moved forward in confidence. But here I am too safe, too cautious.

So, I am going to commit to taking more risks on The Inquisitive Mom this year. I do have other outlets to express myself, including occasional professional opinion pieces, but I want to share more of that here. My publisher jokingly introduced me at a work holiday party as the resident “angry democrat.” I actually have strong opinions about nearly everything and love to passionately express them, but have learned to temper myself as an adult. I want my readers, my friends here, to know this about me. But I also don’t want this to become a heavy space, hijacked by hot topics and political arguments.

Who knows, maybe I’ll follow Erin’s example and start a whole new space, separate from my family and my reviews. I’m not going to fret about it, but I am going to make a goal to follow my instincts to say whatever is on my mind that day, even if it’s a bit of a risk.