Annika wants to start her own blog and website. I’m not really sure how to help her do this, since I would want her website to be more private than most of the websites I’ve used. I’m sure I will be able to find something, but I don’t know how I feel about this.

When I said she could put her poems on my blog, she asked if she could make her own. Because I’m really good at jumping before I think, I was excited about the idea! My kid wants to write and make a website and that’s really cool! Once I thought about it for a second, I started backpedaling a little: “I’ll have to look into what program we could use to make sure it’s a private website…”

Annika is an avid podcast listener, so she said “Oh, I know one! Squarespace!”

Me: Squarespace?

Annika: Yeah! You can make a website with anything on it. ANYTHING.

Me: (thinking about how she knows this, then realizing it is advertised all over podcasts we listen to) Ooooh… yeah. Hmm.

Annika: So can we make it?

Me: Not right now. I have to research a little bit. I think Squarespace costs money; I think it’s meant for people with businesses and stuff…

Advertising – it totally works. For the record, I think it would be cool to help her start her own website, where she can share things and be a content creator rather than only a consumer. I also think it’s kind of cool that she wants to do what I’m doing with my blog… I’m kind of flattered.

Still, I’m trying to figure out how I feel about the privacy issue and how to navigate that world. I want her to be able to do it, but I don’t want her to be subjected to an onslaught of advertising or an onslaught of trolls. Even considering all the great communication and creation it enables, the internet can be a really stupid and terrible place. Especially for girls and women.

Parenting is hard.