-
Is HB only for a certain type of mom/women? No. Is it populated mainly by a certain group of women? Yes. I agree with @Mae: that it attracts a subgroup of women who have time for & access to Internet message boards (so, not many women who work multiple jobs, are single mothers, etc). That leads naturally to a culture that discusses certain topics.
Obviously I like HelloBee, as I'm posting here. I've never felt "shunned" for express a differing opinion here & I've done that a few times. I've also never been catty to someone who didn't agree with me. There's been plenty of threads that I read and don't comment on, because I don't see the point in it - no one here is asking for me to change their mind about parenting decisions. We're mostly here looking for support & community.
I see HB like a mother's group. You're all acquaintances of mine to varying degrees, but you're not my closest friends & confidants (whom I would heatedly discuss things like vaccinations with). I don't discuss really personal, sensitive issues here - just like I wouldn't in a Story Time at the library. I'm not going to argue parenting decisions here, just like I wouldn't when chatting to moms at the park. It may be a large internet community, but I'm still following rules of politeness. I think most of us do, which is why this is such a popular place.
-
My political beliefs tend to be very different than most people on here but it doesn't mean I don't appreciate hearing other peoples opinion. I find that people on the bee are very different than my IRL friends and I like the different perspective.
-
@JoyfulKiwi:
Well said.
-
Personally, I'm not sure there are many other "moms" like me on HB and I think that's part of what makes it awesome. EVERYONE is different, even if they subscribe to some of the same ideals.
I'm almost 40, just had my first and probably only baby, work one white collar job but work 50+ hours a week (without a ton of time to post), I didn't breast feed, am overweight, had a non-emergency c-section, started feeding my daughter cereal around 5 months, have her front facing in the carseat after 13mo, am generally conservative, shop way too much, and am open-minded. I love coming to this site to see/read about and support other moms, from other areas, and other perspectives in their parenting efforts. If I strongly differ in opinion from someone I tend not to post about it because honestly, I see no personal benefit from it. It doesn't mean that I'm afraid to speak up because trust me, I'm not. I just don't think it's worth it. I have way too much else going on in my life and I want to do my part to keep a positive, supportive community both here on HB and in my personal life.
And I echo many other posters who have commented that they would love to see the LGBTQ community and single mothers become more active! Even if we don't have the same day-to-day life experiences we can all give each other empathy, advice, and support which is why I love HB so much!
-
I didn't read the whole thread but I think some topics are more "accepted" than others because of who they affect. I completely respect everyone's right to parent as they choose, but sometimes other people's parenting decisions can affect me. So I speak up re: vaccinations or similar topics because they affect more than just one person. SIDS risks are very well and I take them seriously, but one person's decision about where their child will sleep does not affect me.
I appreciate the civility on this site, even when people disagree. And I think it reflects norms as they exist. If you hold a position that is less common, it's less represented, which makes sense.
-
@sea_bass: I'm not married
Well said.
- Google Plus
- Stumbleupon
- Twitter
- Facebook
- Pinterest
- Favorite0
85 comments