What it’s Like to Be Married to a Blogger – Mrs Under

“Would you write a post for my blog?” he said.

“No” I said.

Then he tried using some male smarts, cooked me dinner and fed me wine and who could resist that? I had two conditions (1) I write the post entirely in my own words and press publish without any creative interference (2) I choose the topic. He seemed reluctant and I quite enjoyed watching him squirm but he agreed to my terms and conditions.

I had never read a blog when he announced he was going to start writing one a little over a year ago, in fact I don’t think he had. He had just taken over the primary carer reigns for Max and I thought it might be good for him to have something to occupy his mind. He had always enjoyed writing and is the only person I know who still writes letters to people, real handwritten letters. It can’t do any harm, can it? In all honesty I suspected his initial enthusiasm might fizzle out.

He wrote and he wrote and he wrote. He would share the posts with friends and family in an attempt to bridge the considerable gap we had put between them and us. It made him happy and that in turn made me happy. He started to get some recognition for his writing and it was hard not to love the complete and natural shock he displayed when he received his first paid piece. The thing about Matt is that he has never really known what he wanted to do with his life, he used to hate going to parties and being asked what he did for a living. He was a creative trapped in an office with no release.

Matt has always had an addictive personality and blogging became his fix and he has quite the appetite. Outside of Max it became the dominant topic of conversation in our house. It also began to dominate his free time and his not so free time. I would come home from a long day at work to discover a fairly derelict looking home, it’s fair to say he is a more passionate writer than doer of housework. He sometimes sneaks off to the bedroom and before long I would hear the noise that I am now so accustomed to, the tap tap tapping of the keyboard. I am still trying to get my head around how all that time on Facebook constitutes work but he assures me it is and if it is then he works very, very hard indeed!

To his credit he does not let it interfere with his Max time and when he is on duty he is just Daddy without the Down Under bit. He and Max have an incredible relationship and he is an amazing father. He assures me that all the hard work will pay off and that he is doing something he loves that will ultimately benefit all of us. I’m very proud of what he is achieving and he no longer shies away from being asked what he does for a living, in fact he tells everybody.

We have recently agreed on a few ground rules and time restraints so that I get to enjoy a bit of him too. I do feel a little neglected at times but he makes up for it when we do spend time together. If you do happen to notice he is spending a little too much time in the virtual world, you have my full permission to give him a stern telling off and send him packing back to me.

Yours sincerely,

Anna – the artist formerly known as Mrs Under.

As always linking up with Jess at Essentially Jess