5 Questions For the Bloggess

A pet raccoon with a hand-washing obsession. A giant metal chicken with a filthy mouth. A homicidal monkey with mange. If you have a crush on any of these characters, you might just be a fan of writer and mom Jenny Lawson, known to the world as The Bloggess.

While Lawson is known for inviting readers into her hilarious, and at times, bizarre online world, www.thebloggess.com has quickly morphed from a humor blog into a true online community that has changed the lives of numerous fans across the country.

Between sharing stories about getting her arm stuck in a cow’s vagina and putting wigs on her cats, Lawson has fearlessly chronicled her struggles with rheumatoid arthritis, depression, and anxiety disorder, thereby opening the door for readers to share, cry, vent, and laugh with others who are up against similar battles.

In fact, Lawson't blog was the first place where I – a person who has struggled with anxiety disorder for the past 17 years – finally realized, “Well hey - maybe I’m not the only one who hides out in the bathroom during PTO meetings after all!”

Not to mention, Lawson and her spunky taxidermy boar head named James Garfield have raised thousands of dollars to help families in need during the holidays and her traveling red dress became a metaphor for releasing one’s inhibitions, exploding into a social movement that helped give strength to others.

In spring 2012, Lawson’s long-awaited memoir, Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, hit bookshelves, quickly racing to the top of the New York Times bestseller list and introducing new readers to her unique upbringing in rural Texas. In March, Let’s Pretend will finally be released in paperback, featuring a brand new chapter, and on March 8, Lawson will be in St. Louis at Left Bank Books for a Drinks Out With Jenny Lawson book reading and signing.

For some inspiration, I asked Lawson five questions to get her insights on writing, parenting and curing my biggest fear.

Q. You tackle so many challenging subjects - infertility, loss, mental illness - with a wicked sense of humor. Why is it so important to turn to humor in our time of need?

Lawson: "It's easy to shy away from difficult subjects in general, but I've always found that laughing at terrible demons makes them such small and more manageable monsters. There's something so freeing about laughing at something terrible...it's as if you gain control over the situation using a secret power you never even knew you had."

Q. By the end of your book, you embrace the eccentricities that make you unique, although it was something you struggled with growing up. What can we as parents do now to help our kids embrace their inner weirdoes and feel free to bust out dance moves to Lionel Richie in the middle of Applebee's?

Lawson: "I think it's a fine line between giving your child the ability and support to find out who they really are and become that, without turning them into horrible little creatures. It's easy to go too far one way and be too strict and it's also easy to go too far in the other direction and become too lax.

"Kids want structure and they want to be able to rebel. If you don't give them rules to butt up against they never learn the thrill of bucking authority...and that's something I don't want to deprive my child of. This is exactly why I bought a karaoke machine. So that my kid can bust out Lionel Richie on the back porch instead of in the middle of someone else's dinner. At least, until she's 16 and is old enough to get banned from Applebee's herself. Much like her mother. It's also a rite of passage."

Q. You have given a much needed voice to those with mental struggles. As someone who battles with anxiety on a daily basis, I think one of the hardest things about being a writer is opening yourself to possible criticism. What's your advice for getting over the negativity and focusing on the positive?

Lawson: "I'm incredibly lucky that I have a wonderful community where people are supportive, encouraging and (often) just as crazy as me. I get tons of emails from people who were suicidal but decided to get help because they saw the incredible response from my audience and realized that they were not alone in their struggle. People are alive because we talk about this stuff. If we were all a little more honest there would be no more "brave secrets" because none of them would be secrets."

Q. So much of your book focuses on your family's quirks. How do we as parenting bloggers find the balance between sharing a funny family story and showing pictures of our kid on the john?

Lawson: "Good question. Personally I fall way into the spectrum of under-sharing when it comes to my daughter. I've never posted a picture of her that I thought could in any way be used against her by bullies or that might be fodder for sickos. I had, and still have, some great pictures and stories that I'd love to share but I don't think it's fair to until she's really old enough to say if she's okay with them being out. I try to always fall on the side of under-sharing when it comes to my kid and oversharing when it comes to me. It equals out in the end."

Q: I have a terrifying fear of taxidermy animals – they look way too happy to be mounted to a wall and therefore I immediately distrust them. Your Stanley the Magical, Talking Squirrel* story, although he wasn't yet stuffed, continues to haunt me daily. As a taxidermy aficionado, what advice can you give me to get over my fear of these sassy carcasses?

Lawson: "Buy a very jolly looking taxidermied head. Name it. Dress it. Love it. Kiss it. Maybe not that last one."

Drinks Out With Jenny Lawson will be held on Friday, March 8 at 7 p.m. at Left Bank Books, 321 N. 10th Street in St. Louis. Tickets are $28, and include admission, a copy of the Let’s Pretend This Never Happened paperback, and two drinks from Bridge Tap House & Wine Bar. For more details, visit www.left-bank.com.

*Stanley, the Magical Talking Squirrel: Jenny’s father is a taxidermist who tries out his creations on his two daughters. He shoves a dead squirrel into a cereal box and convinces them it’s an actual talking squirrel that does tricks. No, I'm not kidding.

By Nicole Plegge, Lifestyle Blogger for SmartParenting
 

Metro East mom Nicole Plegge is the lifestyle and pop culture blogger for SmartParenting. Besides working full time for a local nonprofit and raising two daughters and a husband, Nicole's greatest achievements are finding her misplaced car keys each day and managing to leave the house in a stain-free shirt. Her biggest regret is never being accepted to the Eastland School for Girls.

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