24.4.10

Honesty: The Best Policy?

I have a general philosophy regarding public blogging about homeschooling. I don't want to be fake, but neither do I want to post things that would give nay-sayers an example at which to point. I have less publicly available venues where I can truly vent when necessary. Lately, though, things have overall been doing well... and I post the truth of that. Normally this doesn't seem to be an issue, except when it comes to the Weekly Report.

Specifically, when I post a link to my Weekly Report on the appropriate thread over at the WTM boards. Almost every week, I get a comment to the effect of "Wow, that's a ton accomplished," or "I can't imagine such a busy week." Now, for me, to be honest - yes, our weeks are overall "busy," but it's not because my children are little slaves that I stand over with a whip, making them produce schoolwork day and night. This consistent response makes me worry that I'm coming across either as "holier than thou" with regard to schoolwork, or, alternatively, that people must think I'm an ogre with the aforementioned whip. Neither of which is particularly true.

Still, in the end, I'm blogging more or less for myself. I am required by state law to write an annual summary or report; I want to remember things that have happened in various weeks; I'm more likely to blog than I am to pull out a pen-and-paper journal. Ultimately, of course, I don't really care what faceless internet strangers think of me, though of course it's nice when they like me and become not-so-faceless and not such strangers. (I won't ask them to be less strange.)

I have seen calls in the past for homeschooling parents to be "more real." The idea is that too many of us, apparently, place a nice veneer over what we share, and as a result, each of thinks we're the only one that struggles with X. It may be true that we need to be more real with one another, but I don't think public internet postings are the right venue for that "realism."

Besides, do you really want your children reading what you said about them in another six years or so, if you're too real? :)

4 comments:

Riceball Artist said...

I understand what you mean. I keep one blog that has a lot of privacy settings just to vent and as a catch all. I do sometimes talk about things I'm worried about on my blog. Though I'd like to say it's after I've already thought about it being ok, and no big deal. I have the tendency to worry (by tendency I mean severe anxiety over everything) and to talk that out with myself through the blog has helped a bit.
I'm not sure if I'm more or less real with my blog but I certainly do edit and I don't post certain things. I also don't post every aspect of my life, I don't even post my daughter's real name.

Daisy said...

LOL. It's a fine line falling somewhere between whining bitchy mom and supermom. I think that's why I usually try to spin the bad and the good just a little to make it funny. I keep it honest but the change in perspective keeps me happy.

I don't spill my guts online. Gee whiz, I get enough of people doing that in real life. I don't want to read about people's TMI problems.

Smrt Mama said...

I think I haven't quite learned the trick of filtering out good or bad yet. Reading my blog, I think it's possible someone might think it's either written by two completely different mamas or about two completely different sons, depending on the week. Maybe I'm too honest? Maybe I'm an object lesson? Maybe, because I wrap it up in humor, people think I'm embellishing?

Vonnie said...

I totally want my children to read what I wrote about them years down the road. Seriously. They.must.know.

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