Today marks 10 years since my first post published on Houston Moms. This platform has given me so much over the past decade: close friendships, collaboration with moms from all different backgrounds, the chance to explore my city, a source of income (I’ve been Managing Editor since 2017), and so much more. I am so grateful for all of it, and I’m proud of the content we continue to produce. But the things I am most grateful for are the opportunity to share my motherhood journey with this community and having written documentation of my kids’ childhoods.
Figuring it Out as I Go
My generation is the first of its kind: mothering kids who have had a digital footprint from the time they were fetuses. There has been precedent to follow; no older moms to look to for guidance on what’s ok to share and what’s not. From the beginning, we have been figuring this out as we go.
Yes, I’ve been guilty of oversharing. I cringe at my younger, first time pregnant self, eagerly posting my ultrasound photos on Facebook. I probably divulged too many details to the internet when my oldest was little and the medical appointments and unknowns of his diagnosis seemed constant and relentless. And I’ve definitely gotten myself in trouble online with my political opinions and arguments.
Yes, existing in this new digital world for the past decade definitely came with a learning curve. I have minor regrets about some of it, but I’ve been able to both celebrate the highs and grieve the lows through writing and with the Houston Moms community. And that is such a gift.
A Changing World
When I started writing for Houston Moms in the spring of 2016 (at that time known as Houston Moms Blog), the world was different. “Mom blogs” were still very much a thing and we shared post links with our friends like we share TikToks and Instagram reels today. And while long-form blogging isn’t as popular or accessible anymore as short-form video on social media, Houston Moms remains committed to sharing the words of moms on our team, which I have to believe continues to inspire and make a positive impact in the lives of our readers.
Also in the spring of 2016, our country was on the cusp of major change, and unfortunately, division. Our contributor team wasn’t immune to that division, and we had to work through some hard and painful months figuring out how achieve our purpose of informing and encouraging moms while navigating our own stances on broader issues. There were hurt feelings, anger and missteps from nearly all of us, but I think that season served us well in the years that followed. The chaos, change and division in our country has only gotten worse, and our whole society has had to learn to co-exist and work with people with whom we have major political and philosophical differences. And in 2026, I believe our Houston Moms team, with moms (and a dad!) of all different backgrounds, does this beautifully.
A New Season of Life
Somehow in the last 10 years, I’ve gone from a writer with three kids in diapers to a writer with two teenagers and a pre-teen. Like they say, life comes at you fast. But what remains is I am a writer. For me, there’s nothing like the feeling of putting words into the world and then getting a reaction to those words- positive or negative. I’ve never shied from the controversial in my writing- and I believe the pushback I’ve received as a result has made me a better writer, thinker, and mom.
Of course, with older kids, it’s harder and less appropriate to share specifics about their lives like I used to. There are days I stare at a blank screen with SO MANY WORDS in my brain, none of which I can share. But what I can continue to share is the impact raising kids in this wild, ever changing world has on me. I can continue to be honest about my motherhood struggles, wins, and dreams. And hopefully a new generation of moms will feel a little more confident and less alone because of the words shared by our entire writing team.
