Changin’ the World One Mommy Blog At A Time

by Sandra

"Never doubt that a small, group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." ~ Margaret Mead


Now, that quote is just a bit overwhelming. Change the world? How small of a group? What exactly do you expect me to do? If you are gonna give me a weekly guilt trip, Sandra, I am so outta here.


I get it. No guilt and no unreasonable expectations either. I promise. But maybe once in a while, we can come up with something that may give you a reason feel pretty good or to even reward yourself with a pair of cute new shoes. Or a decadent flourless chocolate cake. Whatever your poison, I am not above bribery and incentives. Hell, I am a mother.


I am also a mother who is a lot like you. I care about issues. Ever since I became a parent, I cannot watch the news the same way. I know from talking to other moms, that our social awareness and primal concern for the world that our children are growing up in, has been intensified after childbirth. Just another one of the many secrets no one warns us about pre-conception. That, and the saggy boobs were two of my biggest surprises.


The ironic challenge is that at a time when we are most affected by issues and have such a desire to make a difference, we have NO time. Make that less than no time. Seriously. How am I supposed to sit on a volunteer board, or lobby the government or spend time helping street youth when I barely can fit a shower into my mommy-fied schedule? Charity begins at home, sister. And if you've seen my laundry pile or watched me reduced to tears along with my child in the throws of a tantrum, you'd know that saying was never truer of me.


So it’s tough. But it is not impossible. And I hope to try to make it easier. My idealistic pipe dream is to find a way for us socially conscious mamas to be part of making change in the world. In small, reasonable, mother-scheduling-challenged ways. I look forward to digging up issues to discuss, flexible volunteer opportunities, family friendly fundraising events and even things that just require you signing your name to a worthy petition. No guilt. No need to hire a nanny to find the time. Because every little bit helps. It does.


So where to begin on this naive quest of mine? Why not right here in the blogosphere. Most of you reading this are bloggers so you already find time for your site. Let's start with that. And I know you know how because when Her Bad Mother issued a recent call to action, well, we bloggers responded. In impressive numbers! And it felt damn good.


So why stop there? Maybe you can resolve to write a post about a charity or issue that is close to your heart each month (I know you NaBloPoMo folks must be looking for content by now). Or if that is too much, then try each quarter or even each year. You can find ideas for some stellar non-profits at sites like Charity Village. I think it makes for some interesting reading and certainly challenges the narrow-minded mommy-blog critics who say we only write about poopy diapers and post cute kid pics.


Writer's block? Not to worry. One of the most important things that Canadian charities need is awareness. They need people talking and thinking about their issue and you can help. With your blog, you have a very public voice. Whether your readership is a dozen or hundreds of visitors daily, you have the ability to spread awareness. Many of you are already doing it, but lets all consider adding a short list of links on our sidebar spotlighting some charities that you think are worthy of your readers checking out. You can put one or two or ten. There are more than 78,000 charities registered in Canada alone so there's got to be one in there that resonates with you. And with that many needy charities out there, it doesn't take a statistician to realize that the competition for share of heart and wallet is fierce. Help them out by spreading the word.


Every little bit counts. It does. It really, really does. So what are you waiting for? The offer of bribes and incentives won't last forever ...
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When she is not raising her 5-year-old-boy-genius, Sandra is an ex-advertising exec who spends her days working with a grassroots feminist charity. She is also an aspiring writer, chocolate-loving vegetarian … and a blogger.