In some ways the decision to write Mom Brain felt so natural. As I shifted back into a morning pages ritual after being in full survival mode during the first trimester, the words flowed — all these little things about my pregnancy, my hopes and dreams for life after giving birth, the electric mystery of getting to know this little guy kicking inside me. Never has a writing project come so effortlessly.
At the same time, the thought of launching a pregnancy and parenting-focused publication made me wince. Not another mom blog.
As we traverse a Sharenting Reckoning, we are continuously and more rapidly confronting the dark side of sharing our lives (and the lives of little ones) so publicly.
I’m not 100% sure what Mom Brain will grow into. But what I do know is that this will not be a platform for sharing the likeness and identity of our (or others’) children.
This is a boundary that seemed impossible for content creators to fathom just a decade ago, during a golden age of family blogging and vlogging. Yet today it leaves so much fresh possibility for how we as parents and caregivers share authentically and with integrity.
I’m eager to immerse in the ethical nuances of this new-to-me genre of writing.1 And I’m sure my stances on these things will evolve and strengthen as I go. But for now, here are some commitments and values that are top of mind for this publication:2
Honoring the privacy of my family, especially the children in our household.
Carefully crafting my words to speak to my experiences and point of view, and not speaking for others.
Ensuring any monetization (or material benefits) of this platform contribute to our kids’ futures.
Writing with truth, but not oversharing.
Mom Brain is first and foremost a personal writing project. At the same time, how can I possibly go about this when my experience as a mother is inextricably linked with the existence of another individual? The very word “mother” evokes the existence of a larger family system.
I’m ready and open to explore. And I would love to hear your thoughts, tips, and advice in the comments!
On that note, I’m looking forward to this upcoming Craft Talks event on pitching to parenting publications, which will address these big questions around privacy, consent, and sharing respectfully and authentically. Thanks to
for putting this on my radar :)And, really, any other online space that I occupy. My husband and I have been wrestling with these questions of exposure on social media even well before Substack existed.