What is it with all the “Mommy blogs” around at the moment? There seem to be millions of them, and they all seem to be hawking the same products – it seems that companies are now exploiting the whole mommy blog scene with trips and freebies in return for favorable reviews. Just about a week ago, I browsed through some of these blogs, and every single one of them had an opinion on why it’s OK to let your baby watch “Little Einstein” videos. Oh, and pictures from their trips to Little Einstein headquarters.
I think last month is was Campbell's soups. Maybe next week it’s be Marlboro – apparently as long as these ladies get an all expenses paid trip to somewhere, they’ll hawk anything for you, and it gets around the lousy restrictions on advertising, right? Stay tuned for “Why smoking in your child’s face is actually OK” posts.
At first it was comical, even reassuring to read the dispatches of moms around the US. now it’s just another advertising thing, and like all adverts, it gets old in about 30 seconds.
Also, I think companies (if they’re going to do this stuff) need to choose their bloggers a little more wisely. I don’t automatically trust someone just because they’ve squeezed out a couple of screaming brats (and from some of the stories on these blogs, screaming brats is the correct term). In with the advertising pitches, I’ve seen everything from “cute” descriptions of bad behavior to “cute” descriptions of even worse parenting. Apparently the kids are a commodity here just like everything else on the blog. Wonder what will happen when this mommy blogging flash in the pan finishes and the kids grow up? Oh – that’s right. Their obnoxious childhoods (and in quite a few cases, lurid details of their potty training, etc) are stuck on the net (and in some cases, books in print) forever and ever. Think that’s not embarrassing to a teenager?
So I’ve decided I’m done reading the mommy blogs. They’ve gone from mildly entertaining through slightly worrying all the way to slightly worrying and for financial gain – in short, the progression of all fads on the internet. My advice to the “mommie bloggers” out there? Find a new trick – fast.
