Althouse: Mommy blogging.

December 12, 2010

Mommy blogging.

The other side of.

22 comments:

bearing said...: Why is this "the other side of?"

I almost expected to be linked to a blog ABOUT someone's mommy, written by the child.; 12/12/10, 9:45 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "Why is this "the other side of?""

Yes, that is the implicit Socratic question. You may answer it.; 12/12/10, 9:47 AM
rhhardin said...: For several years, she confessed, she had worried constantly about people discovering she was the mother of a drug addict.

Aimed at women, I'd guess.

It's the soap opera standard.

Next week: Can a woman be happy with a man fifteen years older than herself?; 12/12/10, 9:48 AM
Pete the Streak said...: I'm sorry for her loss.

I don't, however, understand her need to devote so much time and energy to telling the world....... damn near everything.

I've raised children, I've gone through a divorce, and I own a company. Big deal.

I hope she unplugs, gives full attention to her remaining kids, and leaves their lives as private as they desire.

I just don't understand people that feel compelled to constantly dish out unsolicited and unwanted advice.; 12/12/10, 9:50 AM
James said...: Instapundit regularly linked to her in the past; usually without comment. Perhaps it was just to highlight the absurdity of some of her political opinions.

Regarding her son's death...I wouldn't go down the ShoutingThomas route.; 12/12/10, 9:52 AM
mesquito said...: It's time you came clean about the real Meade.; 12/12/10, 9:59 AM
Unknown said...: Insta used to feature some of her stuff. Don't recall much Mommy in it.; 12/12/10, 10:05 AM
former law student said...: Your children's lives aren't yours to expose to the world.; 12/12/10, 10:25 AM
Anonymous said...: I have to agree with Pete the Streak and Former Law Student. If Henry's drug addiction was a secret for a time, it must be the only one she ever kept.; 12/12/10, 10:43 AM
Joan said...: Old news -- Granju first posted about her son's issues with drugs back in April of this year. She struggled with local law enforcement to get them to treat his death as a homicide, rather than the result of accidental drug overdose. While it's true he OD'd, he was also severely beaten. One reason Glenn Reynolds linked to her stories is that she highlighted the difficulties that regular people have getting law enforcement to pay attention, particularly to crimes perpetrated on drug users, which seem to fall into the same convenient category as prison rape does. If you believe that everyone is entitled to the protection of the law, you should be interested in how and why our society condones this behavior on the part of law enforcement and allows it to continue.

I never read Granju's strictly "mommy blogging" stuff, but I understand the impulse to write everything down lest I forget it. When I re-read the blog entries I wrote during my cancer diagnosis and treatment 5 years ago, I feel as if I'm reading someone else's story. And like Granju, I've received emails from others saying hearing my story has helped them.

Having a drug addicted child is still something no parent ever wants to bring up in conversation, demonstrating that the concepts of shame and guilt aren't as dead as the postmodernists would like us to believe. I believe that Granju only went public because she wanted justice after her son's death, but bringing it out in the open the way she did was brave. This problem is not going away, and not talking about it isn't going to help. Granju's willingness to stand up to scrutiny to start a conversation and ultimately provoke change is commendable.; 12/12/10, 10:49 AM
James said...: One reason Glenn Reynolds linked to her stories is that she highlighted the difficulties that regular people have getting law enforcement to pay attention, particularly to crimes perpetrated on drug users, which seem to fall into the same convenient category as prison rape does. If you believe that everyone is entitled to the protection of the law, you should be interested in how and why our society condones this behavior on the part of law enforcement and allows it to continue.

Uhhh...no. His links were usually to the columns she wrote when she worked for Knoxnews.com and they hardly broached the topic you cited.

wv: phoni; 12/12/10, 11:02 AM
David said...: former law student said...
"Your children's lives aren't yours to expose to the world."

Something true and concise from FLS.; 12/12/10, 11:21 AM
bearing said...: This is another one of these areas where women can't win.

If she doesn't write about it, she's hiding dark secrets.

If she does write about it, she's exploiting her children.

And for those who hope she "unplugs" and starts paying attention to her children --- might I point out that blogging is part of her *job?* She is a paid blogger/journalist.

As usual, when a working mother has family troubles, people are only too ready to pile on and point fingers. The problem is the paid work she does, apparently.

I wonder if people wrote nasty notes to Erma Bombeck, telling her she should quit exploiting her kids, get up from her typewriter, and go spend some quality time with them.; 12/12/10, 12:09 PM
Joan said...: James -- I stand by my comment, citing one reason Reynolds linked to her. The only time I ever read anything by Granju was when Instapundit linked her posts regarding her son's drug addiction. Knoxville news isn't a particular interest of mine, but dealing with adolescent drug addiction is, and I recall Reynolds' linking to those stories last spring.; 12/12/10, 12:10 PM
jungatheart said...: "Next week: Can a woman be happy with a man fifteen years older than herself?"

Be sure to link.; 12/12/10, 12:19 PM
Big Mike said...: It does seem sort of like someone writing a book on how to get rich while living in a homeless shelter.; 12/12/10, 12:27 PM
James said...: I remember her blog post asserting that Trig Palin was actually Bristol Palin's son and that Sarah Palin was lying about giving birth to him. After that generated some heat she deleted the column but the evidence remains: My mother agrees with you

Lots of folks obviously disagreed with my decision to comment on the ol' blog here about the Sarah Palin rumor.

And you are in excellent company: even my own mother left me a comment telling me she was in complete disagreement with my choice to blog on the topic.

I welcome your feedback - all of it (okay, maybe not the comments condemning me to burn in hell for all eternity...) To me, that's what blogging is about - discussion and dialogue. Your comments are an integral part of that. (I must say, however, that I wish people got half as riled up and angry when I blog about things like the shameful fact that about 1/4 of all our state's children live in poverty.)

And I listened to your feedback and decided that as is generally the case, mother knows best. So I have unpublished my own last post on the topic because it contained a link to the source of the rumor itself. And my intent was not to spread the rumor, but to comment on reaction by bloggers and Big Media, which is currently feeling pretty burned by having ignored a certain salacious political rumor (Edwards' affair) that in fact, turned out to be true.; 12/12/10, 1:26 PM
chickelit said...: James said...
I remember her blog post asserting that Trig Palin was actually Bristol Palin's son and that Sarah Palin was lying about giving birth to him.

Thank you for connecting that dot. I'll bet Granju's mother had some advice on raising the grandson which got ignored.; 12/12/10, 2:54 PM
Paco Wové said...: Something true and concise from FLS.

Stopped clock and all that.; 12/12/10, 3:18 PM
Anonymous said...: --This is another one of these areas where women can't win...And for those who hope she "unplugs" and starts paying attention to her children --- might I point out that blogging is part of her *job?* She is a paid blogger/journalist.

But she CHOSE to be a paid blogger *about parenting*. That's a lot different than an econ blogger or political blogger whose personal life may have private disasters too.

She wrote a book GIVING ADVICE ON HOW TO BE A BETTER PARENT. Now, unless that advice consists of "look, it's mostly nature, not nurture, so have a LOT of humility, recognize you aren't in control, and that only luck keeps you from tragedy", she has a lot to answer for as she makes money off the idea that she knows better how, to parent well when in fact, she doesn't. She's the one who put herself there as the expert, and claimed experts know more than non-experts.

In other fields, experts lose credibility (well, maybe not econ :) )when their advice or predictions are deeply flawed or cause bad results. Which part of her parenting has she admitted was flawed here?

Even in her reasoning to blog about her son, I've yet to see humility--humility about her parenting, her mothering, her career, her psychological issues that would lead her to hide this. Humility could lead to some real insight--something that could lead her to know more about parenting.; 12/12/10, 9:24 PM
CatherineM said...: I read her Knox news blog via instapundit and found her to be one of those judgmental liberals who hate "judgmental people." This was long before her son's death and usually about things political.

Who admits she grew up in a family with guns and her brother had a rifle since he was 12 that they were never irresponsible with, but she would never, ever, have guns in her house. That would be irresponsible now. Just a disconnect - why are guns now bad? Did you learn that at college and you are now enlightened.

I never read her mommy blog, but I am not surprised she is all about the bed sharing bonding. I immediately thought, oh, L.N. Fischer-Herrin from the movie, "Away we go." Perhaps that was based on her? Breastfeeding the 6 year old and the infant together and practicing the 3 S's - no strollers, no separation and no sugar.

I have seen some of the hate posts Katie rec'd in response to her opinions, and while unkind, it's because she comes off as insufferably smug. Hard to like unless you are like that yourself. Like LN Fischer Herrin.

Perhaps she wasn't honest about her family because then she would have to apologize for her condescension to others? Again, perhaps that was never her intention, but that's how she comes off in her writing.

That said, I was very sorry about her son's death. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.; 12/12/10, 10:09 PM
holdfast said...: I thought the first few posts on her son's awful death were heartfelt and interesting. Now it's just maudlin and obsessive, and to be harsh, she's got (three ?) other kids to take care of, and if she doesn't stop worshiping at the alter of Henry/Baby Jesus, she's going to have more messed up kids.; 12/12/10, 11:27 PM