Same as it ever was, Same as it ever was. 

I'm sure there are plenty of PhD's that could be written about how polarizing the mommybloggers and mommy sites are, as was apparent reading about BlogherCon. The contention shouldn't really be a surprise, because that is our history and our experience as women. Both society and our own psyche's give us a hard time, whatever choices we make with regard to children. I guess there was always a hope, most likely part of that utopian feeling about the net, that a new medium (and one that so suits the empowerment of the individual and personal and at home) would mean a new freedom from that history, but it doesn't seem to be that way. Mothers talking shop should be seen in the same light as any other occupation talking shop: no worse no better, online or offline. It's a bit like the talk at BloggerCon about the ethics of online behaviour. I think its the same as good behaviour in real life. Likewise, our choices as women will be as contentious online as they are in real life.

This doesn't means that as feminists we haven't gained anything over the years, or should not keep trying to do so. It's blindingly obvious to me that my daughter's choices, attitudes and possibilities are wonderfully more open than they were for women in my generation. But the experience of having children incorporates so much emotional depth and expectation (of ourselves and society) that choices around the issue are complex and the pressures keenly felt; ripe ground for contention. It's just that we shouldn't be surprised that those misgivings translate straight to the web and blogging.

The Motherhood: yet another social networking thingy. Do I sense gleeful rubbing of hands and hope of moneymaking?  

Google joins up with News Corp. Yuk. It's a bit over a year since Murdoch declared his intention of getting his claws into the Net. It sent a chill through me then, and today's news does the same. I'm disappointed in Google. 

Happy birthday, Amy. Hope its a good one!