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SALT LAKE CITY — Over the past few years, "mommy blogs" have become commonplace on the web, with several giving tips ranging from parenting to photography to cooking. And one of these mommy blogs is getting a lot of attention for its appeal to less-than-perfect parents.
Jill Smokler, a mother of three young children, started the blog "Scary Mommy" to detail her trials and frustrations with parenthood, while encouraging others to share their experiences on a community forum. And while the blog was not about how to raise a perfect family or how she has the best children, it has become somewhat of an international sensation.
"It's motherhood without the butterflies and rainbows that some like to portray it as," Smokler said. "This mix of people brought together by this love for their children, but the admission it can be really hard too."
The "Scary Mommy Confessional" has given men and women the opportunity to connect with other parents, while giving them a place to vent about parenthood. Since its inception, more than 165,000 confessions have been posted on the blog. The confessions are completely anonymous, but range from outrageous moments to complaining about "nightmare mother-in-laws."
It really irks me when my neat freak Grandmother comes into my home and asks me what I do all day. My house may not be spotless but it's tidy. I'm raising a busy toddler, Deal with it!
–Anonymous
"I told my jr. high kids I couldn't find my keys and that they would need to walk home just because I didn't want to pack my 5 year old and baby in the car and leave the house. I know where my keys are," confessed one parent.
Another commenter recently posted about her grandmother who always asks about the "dirty" home:
"It really irks me when my neat freak Grandmother comes into my home and asks me what I do all day. My house may not be spotless but it's tidy. I'm raising a busy toddler, Deal with it!"
According to Smokler's blog, the website now averages more than 1.5 million page views a month and has won several blogging awards. The blog has also appeared in several publications — The New York Times and The Huffington Post — and on a number of television shows — The Today Show, CNN and Good Morning America.
As a result of Smokler's success, she recently released her first book called "Confessions of a Scary Mommy." The book "is a collection of original essays that take an irreverent look at the underbelly or parenting — things most moms would never admit, but feel every day."
