Being a parent is no easy trick. There’s no guidebook or instruction manual (okay, there are plenty on sale, but you can bet none are specific to your own experiences!) and every day is a new adventure.

It’s a long-term gig as well, often with no reward and a lot of pain and heartache along the way. But the end result is always worth it. You know what else parenting is like? Blogging.

Scary and New

The moment we become a parent, it’s a whole new ballgame. Sure, we oohed and aahed at our friends and their kids, and we might even have babysat for them. But we always had the option of handing back at the end of the night. Not so with our own little bundles of fun. It’s a new experience, and it’s downright scary. We’re not quite sure what to do and how to do it.

Starting a blog is pretty similar. We’ve seen everyone else do it, and enjoy it. We’ve seen that it looks like something we can do too – heck, if that blogger can write, so can I. Of course, once we jump in we realize just how scary and new it is! What should we write? How often should we publish? Where do I look for help? Not too dissimilar to wondering what to do as a new parent.

Using the Right Products

Our kids are picky. It may not be their “fault” – no-one chooses which foods they’re allergic to, or which detergent our skin reacts to, so we can’t always lay that at our kids’ feet. But often, they’ll holler loudly enough that something has to be just so to make them smile.

Blogging’s just the same. Sure, you can keep your basic blog design or look, but there are a ton of tools that can help you make it a happier place. Plug-ins, theme designs, social bookmarking tools and more – they’re all there for you to use. If your blog could pull a tantrum, it probably would until you give it some nice extra toys to play with. So make it smile instead.

Long Hours, Scant Reward

We know that when we become parents, we sign on for a long contract. It’s not a part-time gig that we can look at in six months and see how it’s working out. Once that little face opens his or her eyes to the world, that’s it – we’re cornered. Then the long hours begin – wondering if the baby monitor’s working, nurturing through illness, helping with homework. And that’s just the good stuff! Then there’s the “I hate you!’ teens and eventually leaving home. It can feel we offer all our love for little reward. Of course, we know that’s not true, but at times…

Same goes for your blog. You can put hours crafting what you think’s the perfect post, make it all pretty with pictures and formatting, have great content, hit publish – and no-one reads it. No-one leaves feedback. You wonder why you put so much effort in when there often seems to be little in recompense, wither financially or emotionally.

But here’s the thing – it’s all about love. We love our children; we’ll do anything to make their lives as happy as they can possibly be. We’ll go to crummy kids movies, play dress up, eat mud pies and a whole lot more – because we love our children. Bloggers know this feeling about their blogs as well – it’s unconditional. Yes, some can be just to make you money while others are pet personal projects – either way, they need love and passion to work.

Who knows – maybe blogging can show us a little bit of what we’ll need for parenting? Without the dirty diapers, of course…

photo credit: dedrawolff

Danny Brown is a business branding and emerging media consultant, and the father to a beautiful little girl. He is also the founder of the 12for12k Challenge, a social media-led charity initiative. Say hello to him on Twitter.