I only discovered blogs 4 months ago. Prior to that, I had never read one and certainly never considered writing one. But now? I love them! I have a list of about 20 in my favorites file. Some I read daily. Others I check on weekly. When someone is traveling or close to a referral, I might check in a couple times that day. (I know, I know, I need to do a blogroll!) Some of the blogs I comment on often. Others I almost never leave a comment. I started reading them purely for adoption information but that is no longer my primary reason for reading.

Lately, I’ve been wondering why I enjoy my list of blogs so much. I think the first reason is just plain curiosity. I want to know what happens next. I want to know how that person is doing. I want to know how her story unfolds. I’m fascinated by getting a glimpse into the lives and thoughts of others. In what other situation do people feel safe enough to truly share their thoughts and feelings with little editing? It’s interesting to me that it is easier to share an honest piece of ourselves with strangers on the net than it is in real life.

I think the second reason I enjoy blogs is my roots as a social worker. Part of being a social worker is listening to people’s stories. I’m more of a bureaucrat these days but I always enjoyed doing intakes because I liked hearing that person’s story. It was never just a form to fill out for me – I wanted to know about that woman across the desk from me. Having someone truly hear your story without questioning it is a very powerful thing (especially for the domestic violence victims who were told repeatedly no one would believe them if they told).

My last attempt to rationalize my sudden devoted reading of blogs is that I managed to stumble into a little family of international adoption bloggers. I’m sure there are other circles of them out there on the big world wide web. But there is a group that reads each other, cheers each other, supports each other, and mostly gets what each other is going through (different struggles, similar angst). I am lucky enough to have been embraced by most of these wonderful women. I like this little community of bloggers. We are mothers and women who want to be mothers. We are women who have struggled really hard to earn that whiney ass “Moooommmm” which annoys you when you are behind us in the check out line.