There are certain things that define us as fathers, mothers and bloggers. Many of these are intangible: values, behaviours, preferences, strengths and weaknesses. And sometimes it is tangible items that define us: the clothes we wear, the music we like and the things we own.

This week I’ve picked out two posts which examine both tangible and intangible aspects of what it means to be a dad and a mum blogger.

Where have you hidden my manhood this time? – Snoozing on the Sofa

I always enjoy Scott’s wry and mildly exasperated view of the world – it’s an outlook that mirrors my own, and many of his experiences as a father-of-three are hauntingly familiar too.

In the suggestively titled Where have you hidden my manhood this time?, he speaks honestly about the vacuum he faces when the one thing that truly defines his manhood is taken away from him by cruel family members. (No, this isn’t a post about vasectomy and, yes, the use of ‘members’ was a deliberate play on words …)

You can follow Scott on his blog Snoozing on the Sofa.

What I am and what I’ll probably never be – Potty Mouthed Mummy

Sian is one of my favourite parenting bloggers because she wears her heart on her sleeve and doesn’t hold back. Whether she’s reflecting on her own life or on external events, she’s unfailingly honest.

This week, her post What I am and what I’ll probably never be strips away all the paraphernalia and conventions that surround the blogging world – the rankings, the social media promotion, the unending need to be funny, to vlog, to network – to articulate what she isn’t but more importantly what she is.

It’s so easy to lose sight of why it is we started blogging in the first place and it takes a brave person to stop and say, “This is me. That’s it.” That’s exactly what Sian does, and it’s something we would all benefit from doing from time to time.

You can follow Sian on her blog Potty Mouthed Mummy and on Twitter @pottymouthedmum.

If you have any suggestions for great posts by other bloggers you’ve read this week, feel free to add them in the comments below.

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