I do things the best way

I was just thinking about a common accusation people make of one another: "They think the way they do it is the best way."

I've heard this applied to child-rearing, dating length, cooking skills, and a number of other things.

But here's the thing: OF COURSE everyone thinks the way they do things is the best way! Don't you?

And here's the other thing: If you don't think the way you do something is the best way to do it, why are you doing it that way? Why on earth would you think to yourself, "You know, I really think that the best way to make pancakes is homemade. But my neighbors all use Bisquik so I will too." That is ridiculous.

The point is, I think everyone should give everyone else a break for doing the things the way they want. That's not to say I don't get all upset over Chris driving too slow and what have you, I'm just saying that I'm trying to let other people do their own thang. Like say, thang, for example.

And another thing I've been thinking about--blogs.

It seems like every few months or so, everyone starts talking about how everyone just blogs about how their life is so perfect, and no one is real. And then they put up pictures of their "really messy" house and we're supposed to all feel like, "Oh, good. I'm so glad I'm not the only one with problems."

I wholeheartedly admit that I am privy to being blogged out, where I start to think everyone else has a cuter house/body/clothes/funner job/travels more/more romantic husband than I do. However. I do not think the remedy to that lies with the blogs themselves. I don't think that because everyone feels like that we should all start recounting our weirdest hormonal moments where we were really mean. The solution to the problem lies with my own insecurity. It's not your fault that you went to Europe and I'm jealous. It's mine.

So why does everyone feel the need to be so honest? For me, a blog is not the place to do that. A blog is more like a scrapbook than a journal for me, in that lots of people are going to look at it and see it.

Can you imagine if, accompanying the pictures of your 2nd birthday party, your mom wrote something like, "This is Erin right before she blew out the candles! David and I got in a really big fight about those candles because he said we didn't have any money to buy party stuff and I got really mad because I had been planning an adorable party, so I bought them anyway, and then for half an hour before the party started I cried in the bathroom." YIKES.

That's some shiz nobody needs to know. And I think the same thing about blogs. Why should everyone start feeling pressure to air their dirty laundry in public, just because everyone is insecure?

I for one, will NEVER think that my business needs to be on here. I am a fairly open person about most things, and I don't mind telling you all if I do things like . . . . pee my pants (you know, hypothetically). But if Chris and I get in a fight, I'm not going to think, "You know, I want everyone to know my life isn't perfect, so I'm going to blog about this." I don't think that's classy, and I do not plan on doing it.

But really, what is it about blogs that makes everyone feel so crazy? Why does an afternoon of blog surfing make me feel like a have-not? Why doesn't everyone date for a long time before getting married, since that is obviously the best? These are the questions.