Days of childhood captured in digital ink

Days of childhood captured in digital ink - Parents turning bloggers 

One of the many amusing anecdotes of my childhood is where I, out of inexplicable curiosity, wiped pigeon poop off the terrace sill with my finger and decided to put it in my mouth. Luckily, my elder brother was around and checked me from continuing the determined poop-tasting expedition. I, of course, remember nothing of it. But my mother's careful narration of the story with intermittent giggles, manages to bring back the memory of my innocent imprudence even today.

Parents and their impeccable memory are my (and most of my peers') gateway to the tales of childhood. In the present times, however,children have had access to more than just oral anecdotes - blogs, videos, books, television shows even. For parents of today, chronicling the growing up years of their children, most commonly in the form of online blogs, is positively rewarding. "I remember coming across a blog written by a mother as early as 2005, but the number of parents blogging about their kids actually shot up from 2008 onwards," says Nirav Sanghavi, founder & CEO, BlogAdda, India's largest blog directory. But this, by no means is indicative of the digital space being a replacement to the joy of listening to those stories from our parents and grandparents. It is in fact an enhanced version which is more enjoyable, sharable and certainly more interactive.

Parents turning bloggers

Mumbai based journalist, blogger and author Lalita Iyer started blogging about her son when he turned two. It was the time when he had started interacting and very often she would feel the need to 'put things down'. "It was the closest thing to a diary for me. I found that the Indian mommy blogging scene was pretty dismal. People were far too serious when it came to writing about children. I thought a funny blog was much needed," says she. Similarly Varadha, a father who blogs about his son Daivik, was coaxed into the drill by friends. "I used to post little stories for my friends and family on social media and they encouraged me to write a blog. These are too precious to be wasted as status updates, said one of my cousins. The blog started formally less than a year ago," says he.

Actress Tara Sharma Saluja, however, had a different plan altogether. After giving birth to her first son, she decided to share the experience of motherhood in the form of a television show, all thanks to her expertise in the entertainment industry. "I noticed that there were television shows on food, travel and other things but none on kids and parenting. That's when I decided to co-produce 'The Tara Sharma Show - Ek Nayi Maa ka Safar' with my husband's company, Bang Bang Films and Jack in the Box," she says.

What happens after the kids grow up?

Blogs such as these make for an interesting read but childhood doesn't remain forever and one often wonders what happens when the children grow up? It's difficult to predict how the kids may react to their parents' perspective about them, so is there, ever, a shelf life to this process? Nirav explains, "I have seen blogs that evolve from 'just writing about their kids' to a lot of other things, as and when the children grow up. Some blogs get updated less frequently as responsibilities increase while many others continue discussing teenage issues." Kusumanjali Ravindranath, a new mother whose inspiration to write her first book came to her in the middle of a night, while rocking her baby to sleep, agrees. "Luckily for me, my 5-year-old daughter is very proud of my book, simply because mamma wrote it," she says. Her book, 'Good Night & Good Luck' is a light-hearted yet honest take on the caveats thrown in by manuals, myths, other mothers, affectionate grandmothers and the tribulations that a new mum muddles through.

All information is read by all and sundry

All information on the internet is under scrutiny. The blog where parents share their deep, personal accounts of parenting is accessible to the whole world. So it's only natural to restrict the elaborateness. Varadha, who was initially hesitant to post pictures of Daivik on the blog or reveal their identities online, agrees. "I do occasionally receive comments from people I don't know but they're all positive. The experience so far has been very nice. However, I do usually refrain from adding any personal information on the blog unless it is connected with a particular entry," says he. Lalita thinks a little differently but is more or less on the same page when it comes to sharing. She says, "If I don't want people to read it, why would I write it? I don't buy into the 'I blog for myself' ideology. If it's something really personal and no one's business to know, I am sure I wouldn't put it out there."

A blog leading to something bigger, better

More often than not, a topic as expansive as parenting doesn't remain restricted to just a good old blog. And that's what happened with Tara Sharma too. "The show came out of the blog. I used to enjoy writing the blog and thought of taking it forward in the form of a video diary. My kids have opened the door of a new career for me" says she. And then there is Lalita whose blog got her a book deal. That's when she took a step back and wrote an irreverent and politically incorrect pregnancy book called 'I'm pregnant, not terminally ill, you idiot'.

More mommy bloggers in India

It wouldn't be inappropriate to assume that in India, the number of mothers who blog about their children is more than the number of fathers doing the same. Nirav agrees, "New mothers who take a break in their careers to spend time with kids want to share their story and chronicle the wonderful moments they experience. Also, as a new mother they experience a lot of changes and they look for the answers on the internet and participate in online communities. So while they learn about things online, they give it back to the world in the form of blogging."

But besides the quintessential episodes, Nirav feels that such blogs are the need of the hour. "Crimes against juveniles are increasing by the day and responsible parenting plays a very big role. There are no rules to 'good parenting', so it is important to have a platform where parents meet other parents and discuss their stories and experiences," he signs off.

Tara Sharma blogs about her two sons, Zen and Kai on www.tarasharmashow.com. Her show,The Tara Sharma Show - Ek Nayi Maa ka Safar is aired every Sunday at 10.30 am on Colors and 9 pm on Nick.

Lalita Iyer blogs about her son and his many conversations with the moon on mommygolightly.wordpress.com; her book 'I'm pregnant, not terminally ill, you idiot' published by Amaryllis will be out in July 2013.

Varadha blogs about his son and his antics on daivikgrows.blogspot.in. Of late, he has started including snippets about his daughter, Akshara too.

Kusumanjali Ravindranath's first book 'Good Night & Good Luck' published by Harper Collins India will be out in May 2013
.