The long way home...

The strangest things occur to you when blog-hopping.

I love checking out other parents blogs, for sadistic reasons - I hope they struggle from time to time as I do. This means I'm not a freak of nature in my parent troubles.

And I spot recurring phenomena. For instance, the first six months to a year as a new parent are full of 'firsts'. Every stage documented - solid food, tottering steps, saying mama - or referred to obliquely by the media-savvy bloggers who know how intrusive blogs can be. But then there is invariably a hiatus. Around one year, many parents hit a kind of mental barrier. I think your own life begins to come back, choices about work and childcare loom, the novelty wears off, or baby two could be on the horizon. Whatever the reason, parent bloggers often go quiet as stresses take their toll. Then, when the problem has been surmounted, back the blog entries come in a flurry of excitement.

I am interested in the patterns. Some of us blog like crazy to deal with issues as they arise. Others take a period of solitude to process thoughts before committing them to blogdom. Which are you? A blog-first, think later? Or a concrete blogger - I know what I'm saying, man!

And I bet some of this is gender based. There's probably a course on the psychology of blogging at a university near you right now. But here in the boondocks (can a village in the mountains be in the boondocks?) I don't have a course tutor, and I'm just winging it. Hey, you out there! Tell me what you think.

Meanwhile, the kids have found Clan TVE cartoons and are filling their heads with multi-coloured pixillated images that seem to send them haywire later. Gotta close down and go do parenty things with poster paints, breadsticks and baby wipes.