Today I thought I’d talk about something that happened in bloggyland about two weeks ago that you may or may not have read about.

A blogger named Cecily Kellogg of Uppercase Woman wrote some posts and made some statements in social media about some problems she was having with her daughter’s preschool and preschool director.  For a summary of the play-by-play, read this article at ShePosts.

Upon learning of the vents Kellogg had made about the situation (not naming the preschool or the director by name), the preschool advised Kellogg that her daughter was no longer welcome at the school.

There is a ton of controversy about whether Kellogg was right or wrong in airing her beef with the preschool in so public a way. But that’s not what I want to talk about – you can read the comments on the ShePosts article, or go to Cecily’s blog, and read ALL of the facts and decide for yourself where you stand.

I want to talk about how this should be a cautionary tale to all bloggers.

You never know who is reading.

I don’t care whether your blog just kicked off a week ago, or whether you’ve been blogging for three years. You just never know.

I blog a lot about things very similar to what Cecily blogged about. I may complain about a school policy. I may vent my concerns over how I feel our neighborhood is a “keeping up with the Joneses” kind of place. I may talk about how I don’t understand why some kids are the popular kids.

I’m always caught off guard when, upon arriving at my kids’ elementary school for a volunteer event, a parent I know only by face will walk up and say, “Oh, I LOVED your blog post the other day, it was hilarious.”

A pit falls deep into my stomach as I frantically try to recall what post the person might be talking about and whether I was snarky about some general neighborhood topic: did I say something offensive or did I invade someone’s privacy? Because that is never my intent.

I never name anyone by name. I try to speak as generally as possible. But I speak. And, as Cecily discovered, there can be painful and unintended consequences sometimes.

At Bloggy Boot Camp in Austin last October, one of the speakers, Kerri of Damn You, Little Rock, spoke about writing. And one of the things she said has stuck with me since that day, and I think about it every time I write a post.

She said that you have to speak YOUR truth. Not your husband’s, not your kid’s, not your neighbor or BFF’s truth. Your truth. But that sometimes, your truth inevitably scoops up some part of someone else’s life, and you have to be delicate and try to not infringe on that.

Kerri’s message, and Cecily’s story, have made me think much more carefully about what I say and how I say it. It doesn’t mean I will STOP saying anything, but I pause. I choose words. I make sure I am writing from my perspective, and mine only, as best I possibly can. I speak my truth, and hope for the best.

What do you think…should we be cognizant and careful because our words have consequences, especially for our families? Or should the blogosphere be a place where we can vent freely and be a pure form of self-expression?