Why we have blogs

If you haven’t noticed, I’ve had a case of the blahs lately. Something to do with this endless winter we’re having in New England, maybe, and tired of taking photos inside? So I haven’t had much inspiration to spend time here, until I get a lovely, thoughtful comment like this one, out of the blue, from a mom who had just read a post I wrote a long while back about the trauma (to mom) of seeing your child knock out a tooth.

From reader L, who no doubt found me via Google:

Hi, just had the same experience with my 3 year old son. I sobbed at the sight of his tooth loss and pain. He fell off his bed and into the radiator three feet away. My husband and I are still puzzled over the physics of how this occurred and needless to say, we moved the bed.

I just wanted to say thank you for your posting. It really comforted me, especially the part about feeling irrationally responsible for what happened. It might sound dramatic to say this, but I did experience deep depression after the event, in large part due to the helplessness I felt and my inability to protect my child. Your mind also starts turning over completely senseless things you could have done to prevent the accident, and in the end, you arrive at the realization that some things are beyond your control. I think this last part is what bothered me most about the accident. At any rate, reading your posting made me feel I wasn’t alone and thanks a bundle for that. Your children are also extremely adorable.

Thank YOU, L, for your nice comment, because it reminds me, in part, of why I’m here. While I started this blog as an electronic baby book, and I still value it beyond measure for the record it keeps of my children’s babyhood and maybe beyond, I never knew, when I started this, the value it would provide in connecting with other parents. I’ve connected with all kinds of parents—those scarred by premature birth or premature tooth loss, parents of boys, parents exploring different parenting philosophies, parents hunting for a “dirt cake recipe” (nearly every day, according to my stats) and so on. I’ve met friends with so much in common, and friends without almost anything in common, and I, too, have been comforted by their words along the way.

So now you’ll have to excuse me, while I go search the sometimes wise, sometimes funny and nearly always comforting words of the blogosphere for something new tonight. Let’s see, should I try “Second fall on front tooth, looks slightly gray?” “Bleeding front primary tooth, preschooler” or just “Will my son’s baby tooth fall out because he just fell on it again, for GOD’S SAKE?”