I wanted to tell you why my family comes first, before my Your Modern Family blog and before Paula’s Beauty Through Imperfection blog and before our Blogging on the Side blog.
My family comes before my readers (I love my readers, but my family comes first).
My family comes before my sponsors.
My family comes before my blogging groups/friends.
Yes, sometimes it may be hard for my readers to understand why I don’t get back to them via email right away. It may be hard for someone to understand why I am not commenting on their comment that day. It may be hard for someone to understand why I am not liking or sharing their things on social media. It may be hard to understand why I don’t have a post up for the day.
The reason is that my family comes before my blog and hopefully yours does, too.
This blog, Blogging on the Side, is just that- ON THE SIDE. Please read our I Blog on the Side commitment to see what I mean.
Sometimes, I think that we get caught up in trying to do it all, be it all, help everyone and then we let our own family suffer. We need to be sure that we aren’t doing that.
If you don’t get a chance to check comments, thats OK!!
If you don’t get a chance to check an e-mail- it will be there tomorrow.
If you don’t get a chance to look at your number of followers, no big deal!
I find that I don’t even keep up with a lot of that anymore. I check my email daily, but I don’t check my FB messages daily (well, not for my blog, that is). I don’t keep up with seeing who my latest followers are on FB, Twitter, Pinterest, G+.
I don’t have the time to devote to everything and so I choose my family.
Do I love to help my readers? You bet!!
Do I want to sit with each one of you, over a diet coke (or coffee- haha!) and talk for hours? Of course!!
Do I want to read your blog posts, share them all over the web and tell everyone about them? You know that I do!!
Do I want my kids to remember me looking at my computer screen? No.
Do I want my husband to remember that I blogged instead of watching our favorite show together? No.
Do I want my kids to think that the people in the computer matter more than the ones out of it? No.
So- for that reason, I ask readers everywhere to remember that we are wives, mothers, sisters, friends… FIRST and bloggers SECOND.
You may also like our Balancing blogging & family time post
If you are on board, jump on board with our commitment and put your family before your blog…
People with lives first; bloggers second. I like that and have subscribed to the theory since I started my blog in late 2012. Blogging without obligation is how I think of it. With a family, work, friends, and sleep all wanting time, the blog comes after… You said it well, thanks for kindly sharing your thoughts about this subject with us.
This is a balance I struggle with – but I’m learning and I’m a lot better than I used to be. Thank you! This is freedom!
So true, and just what I needed to hear this morning! Thank you for the reminder.
Thank you for this reminder. It’s important to keep that balance and take a look at our priorities from time to time. I’ve been feeling pressure to keep up with all things blogging related, and I realize now I just can’t. Looking to the Lord to get my focus, my heart, my commitments where they need to be. Blessings!
This is so very true and some days can be a struggle. But, in the long run, so very worth it! Family always first!
Very well said and I needed to be reminded. I’ve been turning the computer off on Friday night and trying to leave it until Monday morning. I need to work on shutting it down at a decent hour during the week though.
That’s what I try to do on Sat & Sun. I schedule posts ahead of time so that I don’t need to use it (I just check it in the morning to be sure that my posts went live, as scheduled)
I am ME first…. I am not defined by others. And I don’t want my kids defining me by others. I “was” a person before I married. I “was” a person before I had kids. I am still a person. And am not definid by marriage or by motherhood, but by who I am. And blogging is part of who I am.
Though I agree that you do need to find a balance. But I wouldn’t say it is ALWAYS family first.
Good point. 🙂
Oh I just love this! I recently got a new job and I’m struggling to even have time to blog right now. I’d be sacrificing time with my son and that’s just not okay!! But I know it will all be there waiting later 🙂
🙂 So true!!