parents say the darndest things

For a while I've wanted to do a shout-out to all the mummy (and daddy) bloggers I read, and love. One of the fundamental lessons of parenting is how very, very, many ways there are of doing this job, and one of the earliest lessons learnt is that there's only one way for you to do it: your way.

The path to comparative parenting is fraught with angst and self-loathing. Don't go there. Find your feet. Forge your own way. Fall over. Have a cry. Dust yourself off. Set out again. Repeat. To infinity and beyond.

But do listen, read, laugh, puke, judge, stand in awe and generally keep your eyes and ears open to how others do. For you can only learn. And you'll often be entertained, inspired, moved and motivated. This ole blogosphere is so good for all that.

So check out my blogging mama's on the right. They're a strange mix, but each of them speaks to me. Which is an indication of how eclectic my parenting style is if nothing else!

I love to laugh with amalah. She has a turn of phrase which cuts right to my funny bone, even while dealing with some pretty tough parenting challenges.

Girls Gone Child sometimes makes me laugh, often makes me think - the best kind.

Inchmark just makes me stand slack-jawed in the face of her meticulous needle-work. Her advent calendar is something else... And I love her regular posts on the library books she and her children are reading. I've seen many old friends there.

And then there's SouleMama. So much is said about her, and its all so deserved. While I don't aspire to her life (4 kids!), or relate to some of it - home-schooling, home births - her blog is a place I love to visit, and I always come away feeling peaceful and positive. Her's are the posts I read last thing before going to bed.

There's lots of other bloggers I love who blog about parenting in between other life things (so I didn't include them on my blogging mama's list exclusively). Sweet Juniper is a Dad with some of the luckiest kids in the world, just for being his. Eyeblog is another calm and restful haven I like to visit, Tara is a great Mum. Super Fiona is just starting out with her gorgeous Hallam.

And then there's Petunia Face. I've a major blog crush on her right now. She's just so dang honest. And insightful. But I heard a rumour she recently posted about toads, so I won't be going round there for a few days....

They say it takes a village to raise a child. I think the same should apply to parents. Thanks everyone for sharing your stories!