Lani Wendt Young has been blogging long enough now that just about everything that happens in my life makes my eyes narrow, my bloggerbrain train wheels chug, and KaChing! I have an idea for a new blog post.
Which means, my husband now prefaces things with…”Dont you dare blog about THIS, okay?! And my teenagers come home from school and ask me suspiciously, Did you blog about me? And I have to put on that super innocent Silence of the Lambs face and say, “Who me? Nooo. Why?” Because my friends were laughing and talking about something they read on your blog, what did you say? “Umm, nothing…I think.” Yes, sometimes I get chastened and censored. Forbidden to mention unmentionable things.
Other times, my family are proud of my blogging efforts and give me suggestions. They say, “Hey mum you should blog about this…” One of my alltime fave posts (and biggest hitters) Who’s the Idiot was actually prompted by the Hot Man who couldnt stop laughing at my gas station idiocy and said, “If I had a blog, I’d definitely blog about this.”
I’m very relieved though that the Hot Man doesnt have a blog. Goodness only knows what he would say on there about me. I’m also even more relieved that he doesn’t read mine. Which is why I can get away with talking about him…all the time. And even posting pics of him in “Hungry for Men”.
So today’s million chocolate chip cookie question is: If you blog, does your family read it? How does your partner/husband feel about your blog?Your children? If you are a Samoan blogger then the other key question would have to be – Do your parents know you blog? Your hundreds of aunties and uncles and third cousins and their cousins? Have they read it? How do you cope with blogging honestly and provocatively with your family breathing over your shoulder?
Lani Wendt Young 
I am new to the blogging sphere, so I really don't have the experience some others might have. I realize that ON my personal blog, I talk about things people ask me about and share tidbits. However, you can also have an alter-ego I guess or a "nom de plume" that will enable the freedom to post from the hip. Unadulterated, unfiltered, raw, primal, or just uncensored.I have met some really creative Polynesian writers who expose their inner true freak or their desires, sans taboo or cultural shame. We as Polynesians are people of "giving", yet it goes against our nature to GIVE COMPLETELY in public. Now that is a "conflict" worth writing about…or as you have questioned above!Cheers,Just my 2 Cents…."I Might Just Know Something" *self plug included*
hahaha @ if your Samoan. Cause Lord only knows if my family knows I blog about them they would throw a fit. My family knows that I blog but only to an extent. lol. I mainly keep my feelings to twitter. All hell breaks loose on that sucker. My husband is real reserved about telling the world about us. He feels that there is a sense of privacy that everyone needs and blogging it to the world only breeches that. He is a big advocate to OPSEC. lol. The military has drowned him to long to know that I only state the obvious. lol.
My husband used to read and comment on every post, when I first started. Now that it's very writer-heavy, he glances a couple of times a week. My kids occasionally read, but mostly they're just supportive, and handle listening to me talk about it with an amazing lack of disinterest. They're awesome like that. I do have a personal blog, though. Every time I take a picture of my kids, they say, "You aren't going to put this on your blog, right?"
NO my hubby doesnt read my blog (thank goodness to hehe) dont think my parents read it either, they can only just figure out how to send an email…just (thank good ness for that too) sometimes I worry my neighbours might….coz i talk about the neighbours a bit…hehe…hopefully no one burns my house down in the next 10 yrs after all my komurmurring!! hehe
Unfortunately my brother found his way to my blog, then he reads it out loud to my parents. So I have to censor the thoughts I share because I'm basically sharing with my parents – meaning I'll EASILY run out of things to blog about!
Surprisingly enough, my family (at least immediate) forgets to read..a lot. Ten brothers and sisters, and it takes StrangerDanger5050 commenting, to make me feel relevant.Every time Husband comes home from work, I say, "Did you read my post?" To which, he replies, "Yes." When he says "no",I usually lock myself in the bathroom and tell him to "Raise his own kids while he makes dinner."…
BTW…is your book for sale? I clicked the link, but nothing happened. I'm not that bright, though…:)
My family does NOT know I blog. Even as a grown adult, I am typically Samoan, and scared to death of my mother. If she reads my blog, she will skin my alive. Haha. My brother would look at me with disdain. My dad really wouldn't give a hoot, unless I'm making money out of it. My husband would take the same stance as my dad. Doesn't. Care. Lol. All the better for me. I do however plan to share my blog with my children when they are old enough.
I know my mom reads mine, because she always links it on Twitter. My wife will glance at it, but usually only if it's a topic she's into. Other than that, I don't think so. Maybe my dad, but he never mentions it. Other than that, I don't think anyone I actually know as a close friend even pretends to care. I get the "Oh, now you're righting a blog? Just like that book you are getting published huh? Let me know when it's done." Got to love that support system, lol.
I hear you people – the conflict between wanting everyone under the sun to read your blog VERSUS not wanting everyone under the sun to read your blog! LOL Like many of you, sometimes I write a post that I want to shout from the rooftops and I get so annoyed if none of my "support circle" read it. Other posts are ones I hope nobody with a drop of blood relation to me or my husband EVER hears about. Paige, no my book isnt for sale just yet. I have a group of advance Beta readers reading it now and Im slowly getting back their reviews. It will officially be launched in a couple of weeks and then for sure i will bombard you with announcements about where people can buy it. ( you will prob Unfriend me then…LOL)
Hi Pauly – welcome to the 'Crazy Samoan Woman' blogger circle! I love your comment "We as Polynesians are people of "giving", yet it goes against our nature to GIVE COMPLETELY in public."That speaks volumes about us i think. Im still trying to shake off the feeling that everything i write will be a reflection of my parents and extended family. I think like CocoGirl, my mother would "skin me alive" if she ever read my blog, or maybe Im wrong. Maybe she would laugh and enjoy it? I think because Samoa is such a small place and if youre a Samoan then pretty much everywhere you go in the world becomes a very small place too. Like 'its just Moi' whos blogging from Savaii – her neighbors just might read her blog and figure out its them shes ranting about ay?! (dont worry N, I wont tell…) Hey Kim, Im surprised the military even ALLOWS you have a blog…shhhh…i thought they had ears and eyes everywhere….
Luckily, my husband had no interest in my blog life and my parents don't speak English that well! Plus my blog is a book blog so there's not really much that I could say about my family. I'll bet your kids secretly love it! They're kinda famous 🙂
Everyone who is a facebook friend of mine knows I blog! Because I shamelessly self-promote like that.I have been forcing my mum and dad to read my blog basically since I started it. My mum (the English teacher) reads it- while I sit next to her physically prodding her to do so- and comments on my atrocious grammar and spelling. I also try to force my brothers to read it but this is hard to monitor because they are not in close physical proximity. We were all brought up with that Samoan trait of never ever ever saying anything bad about the family so that is pretty ingrained in me in any event. Fortunately I think my family are pretty awesome for the most part so it's not too hard to keep it real.My partner reads my blog to ensure I haven't given away any of his secrets and because he is often far away and it gives a slightly better insight into what I am thinking about then those expensive telephone conversations- you know how they go- 'I love you, I love you more, No I love you more' etc.I suppose when I weight whether I am going to blog about something the measure is- Is it about me? Write with abandon! If people judge me, well to be honest-care factor zero. Is it about someone I love? How would it affect them? How will it make other people think of them. I am alot more protective with my loved ones and thus much more circumspect.OH NO- Epic fail at keeping my comments short yet again!
Hi Lani! Most people I know, know I blog. Family included, mostly because they've stumbled upon it at some point over the last 6 years.I'm with Teine Samoa on this one, it depends on what/ who I'm writing about. I'm (overly) liberal with writing about myself but more conscious of loved ones & how it might affect them, so I'm more more mindful of what/ how I write about them. My position is if I've posted it publicly anyone could read it, so I own it. Even if some of what I write is more "crafted" than other pieces.
I think you know the answer to this for me…my undercover lavalava is a tech geek so I'm sure he reads it behind closed doors when he's alone. I dont know, but for now, I'm just gonna say he doesn't because as far as i know..he doesn't know about it. My friends know and thank goodness my parents don't. Gawd knows the lecture i'd be getting from my momma if she ever saw the swearing that goes on on there…as you lightly pointed out on twitter..hehehe
Somehow, someone found my blog and basically told all of our friends and family on Facebook by mentioning me on his status update and posting a link. Now I'm finding that people censor what they say in our conversations because they are afraid that I'm going to blog about it. It's sad because it has killed about 80% of my material LOL!My wife reads every post and her entire family uses it as a way to feel connected to us since they are all spread out across the country. I do my best to pour my raw emotions into each post without being vulgar because my sons are watching…and reading. The response has been overwhelmingly popular but there is a demographic out there that would like me to be a bit more provocative and profane. Yes to the former, never gonna happen to the latter.As always, love your candid posts and thought provoking questions.
Good point Seti, about keeping in mind that you sons will read your writing and not wanting to be profane. I struggle with this one a lot.As a fulltime mother at home, I tend to use my blog as a point of 'venting and offloading' which can result in some 'flowers' stuff coming out!I agree with you ladies – if Im talking about me, i will let loose and I dont care about making fun of myself. ( I am my own worst critic) But when its about others? Hmm, I tend to rethink and attempt to impose some censorship. Since moving to NZ, I have had to be more conscious of what I blog about because theres more people online here and reading my stuff. I got really freaked out when i realized that people at my church were reading it…uh oh.I hate having to self censor though. I want to blog with more courage, like CG and Goddess. TS, thats cool youre family read it and dont mind you 'forcing' them to listen to it, LOL. As you may have noticed, sometimes my sister Pele reads but the others can't be bothered to check it out. I would hate for my mum to read my blog.Yikes.Lan, Im not sure if my children are happy to be so 'famous' but too bad. Thats the price they pay for being my children. *wicked laugh*
As you know I blog anonymously. If my family happen upon it then so be it. If they don't, I'm okay with that too. lol @LyfesLyrics
Hi Lani! Thanks to the goodlooking Ezra Taylor for having such a gorgeous smile that one had to read the captions that accompanied the picture. The captions that led me to reading your blogs! I'm one of those that secrectly wanted to blog but didn't have the guts to. Voila! The little confidence I mustered up from reading some of your blogs has brought me this far. LOL Can't really say much about my family reading as I'm still the new kid on the block and have yet to start tapping on the keyboard. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. Thanks and looking forward to the book Telesa!