friday the 13th: part II.

friday the 13th: part II.

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What? Not this again…

Today marks the second occurrence of Friday the 13th this year. It’s been a fairly innocuous day thus far, yet I can’t help but think back to Friday, September 13th, and the bomb that was dropped on me that morning.

I have talked about my superstitions in various posts in this blog, but aside from a single unfortunate coincidence, I’ve no real ties to (nor fears about) this day. Still, in keeping with the somewhat ominous tone of Friday the 13th, I thought I’d share something that I’ve been keeping to myself for a while…

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I am a creature of the night, and my habitual night owl tendencies have been thrown into overdrive by my inability to sleep comfortably for any stretch of time. To fill the hours between sleep and wakefulness, I rely on my old friend internet to keep me entertained. I’ve mentioned that I’m an avid reader of mommy blogs, but my natural curiosity finds me poking my nose into things that are likely best left alone while pregnant.

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blogging for baby.

blogging for baby.

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I am a black mommy blogger. When did this happen?

I have been an intermittent blogger for about 12 years.

I have created (and deleted) blogs that run the gamut: my hair, fashion, sex & relationships, my life here in Toronto and while living in Montreal, random, pictures of interest (before Pinterest), my daily commute and work. However, I’ve never identified as a “black blogger,” where my race/ethnicity was paramount to my online writings. Sure, there were a few culturally-relevant or race-related rants, but my blackness in general was only a small part of having a blog.

I have followed bloggers whose race and experiences were varied and vast; I tend toward writers whose style and tone (and penchant for grammatical correctness) match my own. I also liked to read about travels and day-to-day experiences that were relatable, or aspirational. Ironically, I rarely followed mommy bloggers, as I was a childless singleton with zero interest in how these ladies balanced the demands of parenthood with daily life.

Today, I have to admit – while eating a steaming pile of crow – that the bulk of the blogs I read are about pregnancy, parenthood, Down Syndrome or food. I have come across a plethora of good blogs and great writers, and I know I haven’t even begun to scratch the surface of them. As the soon-so-be black parent of a bi-racial child with special needs, I think it would be helpful to find more blogs from parents of colour who are dealing with some (or all of the challenges) I am about to face.

But why would race matter in this instance, you might ask? Read more