When Mothers Become Bloggers: Super-Powered But Still with a Weakness

Wazzup Pilipinas!

"Some parents will surrender to consumerism in raising their children. It's a shame to see decent, scrupulous mothers and fathers in externally imposed crises of anxiety about doing the best for their kids. The greatest gift we can give our children is ourselves, with our strengths emphasized and our faults not hidden but, to a reasonable degree, controlled."

For a third world country like the Philippines, it's not enough to raise a family when the father is an average employee working for our companies that still has below minimum wage compensation for some of their rank and file. This is especially true for the contractuals or temps who came from agencies hired by the company.

This is probably why some mothers feel the need to find a source of extra income. Some would setup a variety or "sari-sari" store at their house, while others would also work for another 8 to 5 job. The smarter ones will find a way to take advantage of the Internet or social media. This gave birth to the Work-At-Home mothers who do online language tutorials, social media management, virtual assistance, etc. The most popular nowadays that keeps some mommies busy is blogging.

Now there are several types of mommy bloggers. One type would remain at home and blog about topics that were contracted via online. These are the ones who are sent product samples for reviews and write about their experience using the products. While there are some moms that attend events such as product launches, press conferences, block screenings, expos and summits, etc. These are the moms that go out of their way to leave their children under the care of housemaids, yayas or relatives so that they can earn a few more.

There is no mother out there that doesn't want the best for their children. So if it means taking extra efforts to earn additional pesos (or dollars) through bank or Paypal payment transaction, or bring home some complimentary tokens or loot bags from events, these are dearly appreciated.

When a mommy blogger wins some gadget or home appliance from a raffle at an event, the joy of bringing it back home to the delight of her family brings a lot of cheer at home. Not everyone gets to have those perks and privileges. When their readers recognize them as influencers and takes their advice in purchasing toilet cleaning products or kitchen utensils, a mother's ego if lifted to a higher level. When companies send retail products like grocery and household items as a form of "Thank You", it lessens the burden of mothers to purchase their daily needs.

Blogging professionally or as a sideline truly spoils the mothers especially when they reach a point in their blogging career when they get multiple invites form so many PRs and event organizers. When they become popular and in demand. When the readers follow what mommies have to say, it empowers and motivates them to do more.

However, there are some downsides. The kryptonite of every super-powered mommy blogger. Some mommies would forget their priorities - the children. They would lack the time to help their kids in their studies. The attendance at events lessens their time for family bonding. Some of them would get home so tired and weary, they go straight to bed and forget to check up on their kids. No more tucking into bed, no more bedtime stories, no more prayers before dinner time, and the preparation of breakfast meals becomes the chores of the housemaids.

It's actually so hard to strike a balance when you're so engaged in blogging about the recent event you attended. The rewards bloggers have been receiving are just so great that who doesn't want more. This is why there are so many who goes event hopping - from one event to the next, and to the next, and so on. Sometimes they attend 4 or 5 events in a day but in order to do that they either arrive late or leave early at one event so they can attend another event on the same day. When mommies become too obsessed with the perks and freebies that they become like students that go cutting classes, or cram their lessons before an exam, these mommy bloggers sacrifice the quality of their stories.

Mommies also wouldn't want to have so many pending blog articles, because PRs appreciate bloggers who submit their timely write-ups. So mommies are forced to spend their nights writing about the events they attended during the past few days. When their energies become so low, not only does their capacity to write a good article is affected, they neglect their kids who desperately need their attention.

What do mommies do to compensate for not having enough time with their kids? They drown them with the luxuries they get out of bogging - GCs that allow them to dine at expensive restaurants, gadgets or hotel accommodations that they won from raffles at events, or anything that seems pleasing at first but later on they'll realize they are just temporary remedies and does not truly match quality bonding time with their children.

So some mommies bring their kids to the events. Now there are some issues raised regarding this move, especially when the invite is only for you. Some would argue that they got permission from the PRs. But just think for a second why they allowed the mommies to do that. It is still inappropriate especially if the event totally puts your child out of place. It is so humiliating when you are the only one who brought a child to an event meant for grown-ups only. It doesn't really matter how cute and adorable your children are. At the end of the day, your fellow bloggers will be talking about you behind their back.

It is also shocking when mommies bring home everything they find at events like the excess food they would ask to be wrapped for take-out, or even bring home the table decors used as centerpiece design. It is totally alarming to see some of them lining up for a second loot bag to see if they can get away with more than one. There are actually so many stories to tell about Big Bad Mommy Bloggers, but I would only like to mention those that I've actually witnessed first-hand.

But the mommy bloggers that have been succumbed by the addiction to material stuff are just a handful. There are a lot out there that know their rightful place. They even write better than journalists. There are mommy bloggers that create literary pieces with their hearts and minds intact. There may be quite a few, some are even popular, that couldn't avoid so many typos and grammatical errors, but there are a blessed few that knows how to reach out to their readers and touch their emotions.

Just like in every community, there are bad apples that are threats to the sanctity of other mommy bloggers who know how to balance their work load. They have the passion to excel in their current task as a blogger, but they would devote a substantial amount of time in the company of their children. These mommy bloggers who have mastered time management are awesome! Their children should be very proud of their moms who know their boundaries and limitations, and value the importance of being there for their children (and don't forget about the husbands).

I've seen some mommy bloggers that are still sexy and fit. There are those that don't go full-time with their blogging so they still have time to go to the gym, jog and exercise. They don't splurge at the buffet tables during events, and they choose their food really well. They dress appropriately for the occasion and they know when wearing make-up is necessary.

Needless to say, not every mommy was made equal. But no mother will ever take their child for granted. These mommies were just disillusioned and blinded by their peers and society. One sure thing about every mommy in the world - their love for their kids will remain sincere and eternal.