Blogs and Privacy

I have spent the last few hours supplying pseudonyms for my daughters, husbands, and brothers to protect their privacy, at least a little. I wasn't very original because I doubted my ability to remember anything less obvious than their middle names. At first I kidded myself that not using their last names and using my maiden name was enough. But I somehow forgot that I have used Koch for all but 24 of my 62 years. All my daughter's high school, college, and grad school friends knew me as Mary Jo Koch. I confess it didn't occur to me that my brothers might read Matriarch.

This concern about disloyalty and privacy violations partially contributes to my never publishing my writings. They tend to be intensely personal. I have seriously wondered if I could turn them into fiction by liberal use of the find and replace commands. But I am no novelist. I do use a pseudonym on the blog where I discuss the gory details of my manic depression. It feels absurd to do so on this blog whether I want to exchange experiences with other parents.

I am aware that my mom's death makes it easier to write about my growing up years. The girls know I have this blog, but I haven't told them that I am reviving it and actually getting some readers. When I realized the extent of my reluctance to tell them, I realized I had to change names. I am not particularly comfortable talking about my daughters as grownups except to celebrate their wonderfulness.