Alicia Steffann shares a secret …
Today we welcome guest blogger (and definitive expert on all things nap-related), Alicia Steffann, of the popular blog, Naps Happen.
An Expert at Being a Non-Expert
Long before I ever even considered writing a blog, I was agonizing over what type of diapers to use. With my first son on the way, I wanted to make a diapering choice that would be kinder to the environment. When I discovered gDiapers, I was excited to try them but, at the time, I didn’t have any friends who had gDiapered their babies.
I was a little nervous, but I did it, anyway.
Please don’t think I was a gDiapering expert from day one. Within a week of putting the first gPants on my son, I had sought out more experienced parents in the online gDiaper community in an effort to adjust my technique. I am pretty sure I started more than one post with the words, “This is probably a stupid question, but…” To my relief, nobody acted like I was remotely stupid. “I’ve had that problem!” other parents cried. “Here’s what worked for me…”
It turned out that I only needed two qualities to be a gDiapering parent: I had to have a willingness to try and I needed the courage to ask more experienced parents for help. I stuck with my gDiapers, relied on the advice of those parents and, among us, we kept tons of disposable diapers out of our landfills.
gDiapers exists because its founders and its employees were willing to try. They didn’t know if they could create a revolution in diapering, but it’s well underway. Because of this, it is no surprise that they have stepped up to support the launch of BlogU, an intimate grassroots conference, the purpose of which is to provide friendship , advice, and support to even the newest bloggers. Taking place in Baltimore June 6-7, the conference is designed to serve as an intimate forum where a friendly group of experienced writers and bloggers can reach back and offer their perspective to others who are just starting out, or connect with those who are simply seeking a supportive community.
When my blog Naps Happen began a few years ago, I didn’t know any bloggers. Today, about a thousand “stupid questions” later, there’s not one faculty member at BlogU I wouldn’t call a friend. These women have been there for me and, just once in a while, I’ve been able to help some of them.
Here’s the big secret: your questions aren’t stupid. We’re all asking them.
What would we do without a little help from our friends?
In order to move towards doing something good for the world, or even just doing something good for yourself, you don’t have to be an expert. All you need is the willingness to attempt it.
Come to Baltimore and join gDiapers and the faculty of BlogU if writing just might be your “something.” We’re all about community.
About the author, Alicia Steffann.
Alicia is best known for her blog Naps Happen, where she curates an ever-expanding selection of hilarious children’s nap photos. Proving the popularity of a good snooze, her blog has been featured online in publications such as the Huffington Post and Parade and on parenting websites, including Babble, Babycenter, and Nickmom and she also was voted into the Circle of Moms Top 25 Funny Mom Blogs in 2011 and 2012 and Babble named her a Top 20 Baby Photo Blog in 2013. When she’s not blogging, Alicia spends her time wrangling two small boys and teaching college writing in the suburbs of Washington D.C.
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