Since starting my blog, STFU, Parents, I've joked that I'm "raising awareness" of Parent Overshare.  Day after day, I sift through dozens of submissions about exploding diapers, dilated cervixes, and bitten nipples, wondering who these people are.  Could they be me?  Some of my parent friends have assured me that if I have a baby I'll start telling people all kinds of things via the Internet.  But I don't think so.



I started the blog after I noticed a shift from sharing "kidformation" on family blogs to giving play-by-plays on in-your-face social networking sites.  What used to be discussed in a paragraph on a personal blog is now displayed through a montage of images and updates on Facebook and Twitter.  I often wonder what my friends would say if I posted a series of updates about my bowel movements or 200 pictures of my boyfriend sleeping.  As charming as that sounds, I'm doubting the comments would be too flattering.



To put it simply, Facebook has become to the Internet what Al's Diner was to Happy Days: A place for friends to congregate and hang out.  And in my opinion, you don't bring your baby's dirty diapers to Al's.  Stories about baby's first steps, sure.  Pictures of your newborn making his way out of the birthing canal... maybe not.



I'll admit when the site launched I didn't have a clue what to expect.  Would friends "turn in" their friends?  On its face, it seemed quite cruel.  Then again, so did outing your 10-year-old daughter's first period to 304 of your closest friends.  To my surprise, the vast majority of the emails I receive say things like "Keep up the good work!" and "Your site makes me feel normal."  Even more to my surprise, many of the readers are parents who just want an outlet and a laugh.  Sometimes it's hard to tell a (fellow) mom friend, "I don't need to know all of that information about your child's potty training - or nap schedule, or eye infection - and I wish you'd bring the focus back to you."



I like to think I'm making a difference.

B. is the author of STFU, Parents.