Yesterday, my youngest daughter, Jaime came home from her freshman year of college. After giving her a home cooked meal and catching up a little bit (she was in a talking mood, and I was happy to listen) I excused myself by saying that I had to finish writing a blog that needed to be submitted the next day.  She was incredulous but in a good way. Here’s a little bit of the conversation.

Jaime: “What? Wait. You blog?”

Me:  “Yes”

Jaime: “Since when?”

Me:  “About 8 months”

Jaime: “Wow. Where do you post?”

Me: “On my website, my Facebook Coaching page, LinkedIn and on Twitter.”

Jaime: “You have a Facebook Coaching page? Wait, you Tweet?”

Me: “Yes, that’s how I promote my blogs when they get published on other sites.”

Jaime:  “Hold on. You’ve had blogs published? Where?  And more importantly, why didn’t I know about any of this?”

Me: “If we were friends on Facebook, you would have seen it on your newsfeed.  Would you like to read the blog I just had published on a website targeting women over 50?”

Jaime:  “Sure.”

Me:  “My blog is titled ‘More Than Sarah’s Mom.’ It’s about women creating our identities and connections aside from being a parent.”

The room was quiet while she read, the light glowing as she scrolled through the screen of my blog.

She looked up and said,  “You could have told me about all this when we talked on the phone.”

Me: “Yeah, we’re usually busy talking about you when we talk.”

Jaime: “You know, Mom. You wrote about being more than just Sarah’s Mom, but you’re not living it. When we talk, you never tell me what is going on in your life. And a lot is going on.”

I paused a moment to look at my daughter. I had expected a lot of reactions to my blog, but not this one. And yet, this is the one really that is most meaningful to me. As the expression goes, out of the mouths of babes often come gems.  If I’m going to talk the talk, well, then, I guess I’d better walk the walk. Starting right now.

“Jaime, you’re absolutely right. I should share more about my life with you. So, here’s something I’d like you to know. If you ‘like’ my Facebook Coaching  page, my blogs will automatically be shared with you.”

You’ve got to start somewhere, I thought to myself. Maybe in a couple of months, I’ll find a friend request from Jaime.

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