I’ll start off with the disclaimer that this topic is probably a little tired, but this is what I’ve been reading this week and I feature other blogs on Fridays, soooo, yah, that means I’m going to be a little behind the ball.

By now, you might have heard about the New York Times article that has much of the female blogosphere (aka “Mommy bloggers”) in an uproar. There are SO many things wrong with this piece that it made my head spin. Sure, the author makes a few decent points, but the entire tone of the piece was condescending. If you’d just replaced the women at this conference with men, it would have been an entirely different article. I felt particularly frustrated because this was a conference I had wanted to attend; put together by the women who run SITS. I read most of the blogs referenced and chat with their authors on Twitter. These are women whom I respect and admire.

Joanne Bamberger, aka PunditMom, wrote An Open Letter to the New York Times About Mom Bloggers, Women Writers, & the Universe. Joanne is a former lawyer and accomplished writer with an extensive resume. Sure, she writes about motherhood, but her blog focuses on relevant politics and advocacy. The first paragraph of her article says a lot: I’m so weary of your attempts to marginalize women writers online who happen to be mothers that I almost couldn’t write this letter. But I realized that if I didn’t, I would feel guilty about not trying to change things so that if my fourth-grader ever wants to be a mother and a professional, maybe she won’t have to fight this battle. And yes, I think this is still a battle.

In The New York Times Makes Mommy Wars Even Stupider, Rock & Roll Mama addresses another frustration (besides the feeling of not being taken seriously) that many women bloggers had with the NYT article: the author, Jennifer, is a “mommy blogger” herself! How can she simultaneously try to be a part of the group that she marginalizes and mocks? Rock & Roll Mama explains why Jennifer isn’t really part of our community, all the while making us laugh with her light-hearted, conversational writing style. She’s definitely a blogger I intend to read more of!

I’ve been a fan of Liz Gumbinner of Mom-101 for a long time. She’s insightful and witty and yes, I even enjoy reading about her day-to-day parenting activities. Her article Honey, Don’t Bother Mommy. I’m Writing a Mildly Annoyed Letter to the New York Times discusses the positives and negatives of the NYT article in a very balanced manner. She ends her post with a list of links to other blogs, showcasing a small sample of what female bloggers have been able to accomplish recently.

What do you think about all of this? Leave a comment!