Blogging: Replacing The Garden Fence
This is a post by Becky for The Great British Blog Festival. Becky blogs over at www.babybudgeting.co.uk She has a great belief in resourecful and supportive communities.
When Great Grandma was a young mum, al her pals were too. They lived near each other and none of them had formal jobs. They were all on quite a budget. As a result they shared skills (hairdressing for an apple pie?) shared knowledge (here?s how to get out blueberry stains, ooh I know where you can get a cheap pram) and generally they were useful, supportive neighbours and friends.
Oh how I would have loved to live then!
Communities are more fractured now, we tend to live further away from our families, we are more materialistic, more parents work longer hours. It can be lonely.
Being a parent on a budget can be a learn as you go experience, it can be tough and it can feel isolating. I know that being part of a community brings shared goods, information, resources, support and friendship. I have spent 6 years building one around me and ours now sustains me and my kids physically and spiritually. I truly believe it take a village to raise a child.
I wanted to build a blog that would provide information, support, inspiration and community to other parents on a budget and replace that garden fence, even if it was online. And I wanted to have great freebies to offer them once in a while too!
My darling hubby built my blog, I have poured my heart into developing it and now after a half a year like a field of poppies it is all blooming with colour and life, its finally spreading and the seeds seem to have taken hold.
I have wonderful, wonderful parents guest posting for me each week sharing what they know with others on everything from frozen food, and the family packing with kids, cut cost craft ideas and helping fussy eaters. I have an inspirational parent each month sharing their baby budgeting story. I have big brands like Organix and Mamas and Papas giving away lovely stuff. How wonderful this community is truly evolving.
Blogging is a privilege I was helped tremendously with my little ones (and I still am) and I feel in blogging I am able to share what I know and give something back. And I truly am learning all the time for so many resourceful parents who generously share what they know on my blog..
I think it does the soul a whole load of good to be with like-minded souls however this happens. Thank you my blogging pals for contributing and being part of what in Great Grandmas day used to be a physical reality of a parenting neighbourhood but now is a vital, vivacious, virtual one.
Love from, Becky (just over the fence)
How lovely. Totally agree – having a blog is being part of a community and I love it too! x
Hi Becky/Erica
I think the idea of a blogging community replacing the old days of chatting over the garden fence or down the shops is a lovely one, but it’s a bit of an ideal. There’s a huge difference. I think it’s much easier for bloggers to portray a different side of them, to promote or exaggerate a character that isn’t really them, to put on a brave face or pull the wool over others’ eyes. Blogging has been a godsend for the shy, the creative, the deep thinking amongst us, whereas social skills/confidence in reality may be pretty much nil. SIX bloggers have been in touch with me this week to raise concerns about an aspect of blogging because they feel I am someone to confide in. What on earth I’m supposed to do, I don’t know but I’m working on it! x
Most definitely… With our neighbours, its only a hello how’s things? when they’re in the garden. With our online friends on Twitter, The Mummys Club and Facebook, we’re more social than ever lol.
You could argue that by being social online, we’re being anti-social offline, however, for some of our members, blogging, posting, tweeting etc is a God send as they lack the confidence to express themselves in the real world.
Once they would have been shunned as the quiet girl, or persecuted for not taking part, now they can reach out, help out and even shout out. In fact, some of the members on The Mummys Club have made more friends (real world and online) in the last few months than they have in their whole lives…
Janey x