If you *think* this is about you, it very well may be

I have three kids, each three years apart.  Do you have any idea how hard it is to play a game with these three?

The 11yo doesn’t want to play down the 5yo’s level and I swear he takes his revenge in listening to her moan the fact that she lost AGAIN…the 5yo finds her interest in playing a game she knows she can’t win is gone…the middle child, the 8yo just wants everyone to stop forgetting that she’s there playing too.

So, there I am…trying to convince the 11yo that he has a responsibility as the good older sibling to be more patient, to try and help his sisters learn the rules and strategy and he doesn’t have to let them win, but he does have to remember that cutting for blood from someone younger and less experienced isn’t being any kind of winner.

So, there I am…explaining to the girls that instead of worrying about WIN WIN WIN, maybe you can learn something from your older, wiser sibling.  You can pick up the nuances of the game, you can watch the moves that are made and work at figuring out WHY he did that and what made it work.

And it’s a lesson that has to be reiterated again and again.

Ok.

THAT whole analogy was a set up to complain about the horrendous amount of snide and snarky belittling going on between bloggers. This is the point where all of you who don’t blog and thought you were going to get some sweet insight into my kids may just want to go. Bloggers? You stay and read!

<rant>

You have your long-time, established bloggers who have years of experience under their belts.  They have blogs they’ve been writing for years, relationships built with companies and PR agencies and can easily stand on high and look down their noses at the newbies and scoff, “You’re doing it wrong, that’s not how it used to be, you’re tainting the whole blogosphere.”

And then you have your newer bloggers…and YES, a few of them are like clumsy puppies whacking things over with their tails and drooling on the upholstery…but deserving your attention and affection too.  They’re frustrated because no matter how hard they try, they’re constantly being told they’re sellouts or corporate whores or worse….blogging without INTEGRITY.

Seriously, people.

*deep breath*

Everyone needs to get their act together…you need to mind your own damn business…if you don’t like the way it’s being done, unfollow/unsubscribe/unfriend/ignore, it’s NOT hurting you…is it so hard to grasp that to BE respected you have to act respectably?…manipulation and deception always comes out and is NEVER pretty….remember how it felt to be the new one around town…consider that those that are newer to blogging don’t know how it “used to be”, they’re trying to emulate the examples you set…don’t lose sight of the fact that the bloggers who’ve got the influence worked HARD for that with years of solid writing and forging the way for you to have this awesome experience (and NO, I sure am NOT referring to any ONE blogger paving the way for all of us…at ALL)…

….and finally? Please don’t forget that every time a Drama Whore tweets a bunny explodes.

</rant>