A Chip Off The Ol’ Blog

For most people I meet, one of the first questions they ask me when they find out I have a blog is, ‘What’s a blog?’ 

After that there’s, ‘Why would you do that?’ followed by, ‘Do you get paid for it?’

After this we come to the one I’m asked by just about everyone – readers and non-readers – ‘What does your family think of you writing about them on your blog?’

The thing is, they love it. All of them. ‘Did I make your blog last night?’ is a question someone in the family asks me almost every single day. That, and ‘why can’t I play Minecraft?’

But this might be about to change.

This afternoon, when I arrived home from work, I went through my usual routine: wandering around the house to collect my fill of kisses and cuddles from the kids before making my final cup of Joe for the day.

“Dad, what did you do today?” asked a voice behind me as I stood in front of the coffee machine trying to remember which buttons to press. It was Master8.

This was an unusual question in that it’s usually me asking the kids what they’ve done, not the other way around.

“I just went to work,” I told him as the golden liquid dribbled into my cup.

“Yeah, but what did you do?” he wanted to know. “Did anything funny happen?”

“They paid me to chat with people. That always amuses me,” I said and smiled. I stirred in my sugar and looked over at him. He didn’t look as amused about it as I was. “Umm…I know what happened. Your mum came in to see me with the girls. They rode in on the bus.”

“Mum’s already told me that,” he said dismissively. He leaned in towards me. “What else have you got?”

What else have I got? Jeepers. Where was this coming from? I cast my mind back. You wouldn’t think it’d be that hard to remember what I’d done today, considering I’d only just come from there.

“Did she mention we had a coffee together before I drove them home?”

“Yes,” he said, a note of impatience in his voice. “What else have you got?”

Jeez, Louise! I was feeling the pressure now. I looked over at Tracey, who was cooking dinner with an amused sort of look on her face.

“Remind you of anyone?” she asked me.

“Darren Hinch? Kerry O’Brien? Andrew Denton?”

“Dad! Focus. What else happened today?”

“Did your Mum mention your sister screamed the whole way from the café to the car and to home because we wouldn’t buy her a Dora drink? And even though we’d already bought her the gingerbread man she asked for?”

“No! She didn’t say that! Thanks, Dad!” And he raced off.

“What was that about?” I asked Tracey.

“He’s blogging,” she said.

For months, Master8 has been approaching me to have his own blog. He’s always interested in how many people are reading posts he’s in and how many likers the Facebook page has.

“I don’t think I’m comfortable with that,” I said to Tracey.

“You write about them. Now they can get some of their own back,” said Tracey.

“I mean, them having a blog. They’re too young for the internet.”

I’d like to say she looked at me like she thought I was stupid, but she looked at me like she knew I was stupid.

“Just go look.”

I stuck my head into the lounge room and there was my little man, head bent over a notebook, writing away furiously.

“So he’s got a journal,” I said to Tracey.

“Shhh,” she hissed. “It’s a blog.”

He was muttering gleefully under his breath as he wrote. Something like, “I’ve got something to write. I’ve got something to write.”

“Do I look like that when I blog?” I whispered to Tracey.

“No,” she assured me. “He’s cute.” She’s hilarious, my wife. “He’s been at it since he got home,” said Tracey as we retreated back to the kitchen. “He’s done four pages, complete with drawings.”

“Drawings? I don’t do drawings.”

“He’s raising the bar.”

He sure is. He’s already written a two page list of future blogs he intends to write, so he’s already more organized than his old man who sits down and stares panic-like at a blank screen every night.

“Looks like you’re having a bit of an influence on him,” said Tracey.

“I thought we’d agreed I wouldn’t do that,” I quipped, but I’m thrilled he’s finding the fun in words.

So look out blogging world, there’s a new kid on the blog (or there will be when he’s old enough to have his own webpage).

I think I’m pretty happy about that.

I also think the question I’m most often asked at home is about to change and, ‘’what did you do today?’ might be the new standard when I walk in the door. Yep, it seems likely from now on I might be the one asking, ‘Did I make your blog last night?’

And I’m feeling pretty chuffed about that too.

When not typing away over here and checking his stats every two minutes

Bruce Devereaux hangs out at his ‘BIG FAMILY little income’  Facebook Page.

 ’raising a family on little more than laughs’