The days of helping mom figure out Internet Explorer are long gone. Sure, moms aren’t the likeliest foot soldiers of the digital revolution, but in a world of peanut allergies, lead-tainted toys and endless debates over breastfeeding, child-rearing has reached a rocket-science level of complexity.
While a juicy parenting story may come along in the mainstream media on occasion, easy-to-use publishing tools that encourage user contributions allow moms to share their fears, victories and frustrations 24/7, in real time. So while the kids are napping, the moms are blogging.
Heather B. Armstrong, the author-mom behind Dooce.com, has built an entire community around her blog, with hundreds of commenters daily sympathizing with her rants about the stay-at-home life.
“So Lily is lying there looking all innocent and cute and chubby, OH THE ROLLS ON THAT KID’S THIGHS. It takes an act of congress to clean the folds in and around that child’s bottom, I’ll just go ahead and say it, but the flip side to that is CHUBBY BABY! Nothing in this world better than a chubby baby, no there isn’t, except maybe affordable healthcare, BUT HEY, THAT’S NOT WHY YOU’RE HERE.”
Armstrong has also built a small fortune: the site’s ads support her family, she’s written a book and travels the media circuit regularly to comment on her blogging and mom-ing.