Why Millions of Moms and Mompreneures Share Personal Parenting Stories Online

You just caught your kid doing the most amazing thing…on his way to school, he actually walked over to a sad looking kid and offered to carry his book bag! Who are you going to tell? Or, your little girl is still throwing temper tantrums and she’s 9! Who are you going to tell? Then, your little boy tells his big sister that she doesn’t need to worry about having babies when she gets older because the vet can “fix her just like he did Scruffy.” Who are you going to tell?

Your friends? Well, you could, but truth be told, your friends will allow you only so much time and space to brag about (or vent about) your children. How about telling your relatives? Yes, that’s a possibility. However, you know that any time you open the conversation up about what your kids are doing, you’re inviting advice….well maybe not inviting it, but that’s what you get from relatives regardless.

As an alternative, more and more parents are turning to online “mommy communities” to share their stories, ask parenting questions and swap tips. The big sites like CafeMom and CircleofMoms (a Facebook app) get millions of mom visitors every month. (Interestingly, these two sites are run by men.) A recent Pew Internet Survey found that adult users have quadrupled in the last four years. It also found that parents are more inclined to post and share online than adults without children.

Why? It seems that moms enjoy the gratification of immediate connection with others of similar experience. It’s an antidote to a busy child-focused day. “When I’ve spend the day consumed with taking care of my children’s constant needs, it’s nice to connect with other adults and reflect on the day…sharing the challenges or funny moments that occurred,” says Amanda Manning, mother of three. “It also helps to read what other moms are experiencing. I need reassurance that I’m not the only one with challenging kids.”

Certainly connecting with other moms reduces the feeling of isolation that many stay-at-home-moms experience. It helps parents feel that they’re part of a community.

Sharing our stories is a basic human need. It completes the experience for us. And sites that allow parents to post magic moments caught on film or video are even more enticing. Many of us want the world to know how adorable our little one looks in his or her new outfit or share the moment the camera captured as our kid kicked the winning ball into the goal. It’s a way to “record” the moment for posterity.

Additionally, some sites like CafeMom.com, MomsTown.com and Mom-Tales.com combine the best of sharing parenting stories while also giving moms an opportunity to promote their own home-based businesses.

Millions of moms every year look for a way to earn money while allowing them a flexible schedule to also stay home with and raise their children. Many of these moms start their own business by seeing and filling a need they have encountered themselves as a busy parent.

But, promoting that new business is always a challenge. Traditional advertising is expensive and not as effective, it turns out, as getting the word out to other moms via blog sites and social networking. If a “mommy blog” gives them a chance to promote their product or service for free, with a website link to their site, all the better. Some of these sites also have a “Mom Recommended” section that invites mompreneures to submit their products for the opportunity of being featured.

In the end, time spent in online communities and social networks should never replace time spent with one’s children. However, when our kids are napping or in school, it can be a satisfying way to share our everyday parenting stories and build a positive support system.

Article Source: http://www.parentingarticlelibrary.com

Victoria Loveland-Coen is a mother of twins, author of The Baby Bonding Book and the Give a Little Love coupon book series. She is also the founder of the new online community site for moms, Mom-Tales.com, which allows moms to share their parenting stories, photos and videos in addition to promoting their businesses for free. www.Mom-Tales.com

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