What inspired you to start your blog?
I was inspired to start my blog for several reasons actually.
#1 I have had (almost) 50 years of life experience; successes, failures, struggles, victories, and I want to share everything that I’ve learned so I can hopefully help people. We have all had to overcome obstacles in our lives and I feel there is something that can be learned from our stories of triumph. I’m willing to put my story out there and be transparent if it can help others who are experiencing the same or similar struggles.
#2 I was a SAHM for many years and loved being able to be a nurturing and positive influence in my daughter’s life. When I got divorced, our lives changed drastically and I saw the toll it took on her when I had to back to an office job. Even though it was a decent income, there was no personal reward like there was with being a SAHM. I felt empty and used, if I’m being honest. My talents weren’t being used to their full potential, I was stressed/exhausted all the time, and I felt very disconnected from my daughter. Starting my blog is a way for me work from home (which I absolutely love), keep that connection with my family, earn an income, and do what I love which is sharing what I’ve learned with the goal of helping others.
#3 I love learning and writing – always have. I knew someday I would put my love of learning and writing to good use!
What is your blog about?
My blog is about sharing my experiences so hopefully people can learn from my mistakes and also my accomplishments. My blog focuses on relationships and how we can improve them; every aspect of parenting even the not-so-pretty stuff; divorce; women’s issues; and since my daughter is a lesbian, I focus on her struggles as a lesbian teen so I cover LGBT topics.
Whenever I learn something new that I feel is worth sharing because it helped me and I believe it can help someone else, I do a blog post.
What are you passionate about?
I’m passionate about parenting the most. Ever since I gave birth to my daughter 16 years ago, she has been my #1 priority. I had a rough childhood so I felt compelled to give her the best start in life because I know how important it is in order to flourish.
The most important “take-away” from being a parent is how critical it is to remain open. If we put away our preconceptions about “the proper way to raise a child” – i.e. raising our children the way we were raised – we learn to see our children, and the world, through different eyes.
I’m also passionate about learning and teaching. If I could get paid to be a student, I would sign up for that immediately!
Where do you see your blog in five years?
My blog is in the beginning stages and I am so excited that I actually took the plunge and started it!
I am learning new aspects of blogging every day; one of which is its potential reach. I want to build a community of people that will find Edifymeblog to be an invaluable resource to go to for help in their daily lives but I also want to use it to raise awareness about social issues like adolescent/teen depression, LGBT issues, child abuse, suicide, and much more.
I remain open as I embark on this journey because I don’t want to limit its capabilities to help people, so I will continue to build on what I’ve started and see where it takes me.
