Title of the Essay, Author, and Date

Is Mommy Ethical? by Jen Westmoreland Bouchard (March 27, 2013)

Title of the Reflection

E thical issues

First Impression

A n essay about if our mother is ethical

Reflection Paper

There is a lot of controversy surrounding the concept of “mommy” blogging and the ethics behind it. Ethics depends upon the degree of which the blogger incorporates their children’s personal lives. If a woman writing a blog about crafts, bedroom decorating ideas and after school snacks, then there is obviously nothing questionable about it. On the other hand, if a woman is writing a blog about her daughter, personal problems and family drama then there is a question of ethics. There is also the question of safety when it comes to openly writing about one’s children. By posting personal information about their children such as photos, school information, birthdays, likes and dislike. These women are welcoming the entire internet into their home. The author says “When a blogger publishes details about a child’s preferences, weaknesses, appearance, where about, habits, the public nature of this information only exacerbates the already vulnerable position of the child in today’s society.” Is having a successful blog worth putting your children at risk? There are plenty of other approaches to discussing motherhood than sharing intimate details.

Overall, I don’t think it is unethical with “mommy” blogs. They are a way for mothers to communicate, share tips, compare notes in bringing up children and discuss similar problems. However, I think that there should be limits as to the kind of information disclosed. Mommy should feel responsible on what they are sharing about their children detailed information.

5 Things That I've learned from the article:

1. According to eMarketer, a digital media analytics firm, there are nearly four million American moms who blog, and this number is growing steadily.
2. Mommy blogging is a way for mothers to connect with others by sharing articulately rendered experiences during what can be a particularly isolating and challenging and/or joyful and inspiring time in one’s life.
3. For mommy bloggers who are motivated to reach large numbers of readers, this sharing can quickly turn into what Atlantic contributor Phoebe Maltz calls “parental overshare.”
4. Parental overshare is centered on the negative, resulting in public “child shaming.” Child shaming involves posting photos or anecdotes of children engaging in “bad behavior” in order to “shame them.” At times, the blogger even goes so far as to call her child a derogatory term.
5. Whether the information published on a blog is of a positive or negative nature, the very act of making it accessible to a wide audience calls into question in the notion of consent.

5 Integrative Questions

1. Why what was the reason why “women categorized as ‘mommy bloggers’ are simply women who are mothers and occasionally write about their own children?
2. What is the genre of mommy blogging?
3. What are the ethical implications of the child-based connecting and airing of grievances, and the catharsis that is mommy blogging?
4. What information about one’s child is, indeed, “appropriate” to share in a public forum?
5. Why what was the reason that parental overshare and child shaming, is easy for critics to focus (or place blame) on the mommy bloggers themselves?