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Yes, this is supposed to be a blog about the social and marketing trends that impact moms. Sometimes, however, I have to speak simply as a mom,  not a marketer, with a mom’s reaction to what goes on in the world.

Earlier this week, an 8-year-old child, Leiby Kletzky, was abducted and killed in New York City. It was his first time walking home alone from day-camp — all of seven blocks. According to the news coverage, he had begged his parents to allow him to do that. His parents, yielding, rehearsed the route with him until they were satisfied he knew the way. And then, on that first day, he apparently became lost and was “befriended” by a man — a member of the local community, a neighborhood considered one of the safest in the city – who later killed him.

For those of us who have been around for awhile, this brings back memories of another crime that shocked our city: the abduction and disappearance of Etan Patz  in 1979. Etan was 6 and disappeared after being allowed to walk to the school bus, just two blocks away. For the first time.

So what does this say? Not that New York is an unsafe city — our crime rate has plunged dramatically over the years, to the point where parents believe that the streets are safe. What it means is that every parent has to make decisions, over and over again, about how much freedom to give a child, and when, and sometimes, sometimes those carefully made choices are disastrous.

I remember, when my son was young, expecting to walk him to school throughout Middle School. That lasted about a week, as did similar plans among  his classmates’ parents  (Mom! You don’t have to walk me! I’m in Middle Schoo!), although the worry continued. What if? What if?

The point of this blog: to share the angst of trying to make the right decision for our children, and the grief when it goes horribly wrong.

For the 2011 Bloganthropy Awards video, please visit  here.

For photos of the 2011 Bloganthropy Awards, click here.

On Friday, June 24^th, Child’s Play Communications and Bloganthropy.org co-hosted the 2011 Bloganthropy Awards, as an official event of the popular Type-A Parent Conference in Asheville, NC. The Bloganthropy Awards is a unique program that recognizes women bloggers who have made a difference by using social media effectively to support a good cause.

The highlight of the evening: We announced the winner of the second annual Bloganthropy Award: Susan Niebur, the blogger behindToddler Planet.

An astrophysicist who has worked for NASA and mother of two young boys, Susan has battled inflammatory breast cancer four times, surviving countless surgeries, intense radiation and chemotherapy.  Through her blog, Susan has spread awareness about the disease, “the cancer that kills without the lump,” and has lead thousands of women to join the Army of Women, a movement founded by the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation and the Avon Foundation for Women that provides women afflicted with breast cancer access to potential research studies and participation in treatment trials. Susan sits on the board of the American Cancer Society, is active in its More Birthdays campaign, and has been featured by media across the country.

 Susan was recognized for her great dedication to informing and advocating for cancer patients and survivors over the years. She received an honorary plaque and a cash prize for her cause-focused social media accomplishments.

The Bloganthropy award was presented by Bloganthropy.org, a non-profit organization that combines the power of social media with the resources of corporate giving, and Child’s Play Communications, specialists in connecting companies with moms through public relations, social media and word-of-mouth communications.

Said Candace Lindemann, co-founder of Bloganthropy.org: “The Bloganthropy Awards enable us to applaud the work of these powerful women and to inspire others to make a difference using social media.”

GIVE Education, one of Procter & Gamble’s social sustainability programs partnering with Communities In Schools to help keep more than one million kids in school, was the 2011 award sponsor. In 2010, Procter & Gamble sponsored the first annual Bloganthropy Awards through its GIVE Health initiative. The Bloganthropy Awards presentation ceremony sponsors included: MAM USA, Toy State, Backyard Safari Outfitters, Music Together, Fairy Tales Hair Care and Corolle.

Event guests enjoyed great food, Type-A-tinis, samples from the exhibitors, a raffle with prizes totaling hundreds of dollars, and makeup applications from Mary Kay Cosmetics.

At the event, the following finalists were also recognized for their unique contributions to the blogosphere:

• Lydia Yeung, Ever Ours; Henny Vallee and Lucia Dinh Pador, Utterly Engaged

After the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in March 2011, Lydia Young, Henny Vallee and Lucia Dinh Pador mobilized to raise money in support of Japan disaster relief efforts. To date, For Japan with Love has raised more than $66,000, with all proceeds going to Shelter Box USA, a charity that provides shelter, water, blankets and other emergency supplies to families affected by disasters around the globe.

• Andrea Roberts, Reece’s Rainbow

Andrea Roberts is the proud mother of 9-year old Reece, who was born with Down syndrome. Out of appreciation for the support they received following Reece’s 2002 birth, in 2004 Andrea and her husband founded Reece’s Rainbow—an outreach program for families with kids born with Down syndrome at an Atlanta, Georgia hospital. In 2006, Reece’s Rainbow expanded to encourage the international adoption of orphaned children with Down syndrome, through grants totaling $1.5 million.

• Jess, A Diary of A Mom

The mother of two daughters, one autistic, Jess uses her blog as a forum to unite the widespread autism-support community, whose goal is to improve the lives of the 1 in 110 children living with autism. In April, 2011, at President Barack Obama’s personal invitation, Jess attended an autism conference at the White House as a parent advocate and continues to garner support nationwide for autism awareness.

 Melissa Ford, Stirrup Queens

The mom of twins conceived through fertility treatments, Melissa Ford started the Stirrup Queens blog as a result of her own personal struggle with getting pregnant. Stirrup Queens serves as a meeting place and resource for individuals and couples dealing with infertility, prematurity and pregnancy loss. She has been invited to speak at a congressional briefing on infertility and has met with Congressman to discuss the Family Building Act. 

 “Through the Bloganthropy awards, we hope to increase the reach of these inspiring and highly effective bloggers by promoting their projects and connecting them with corporate sponsors that can further support their causes,” said Debbie Bookstaber, co-founder of Bloganthrophy.org.

For photos of the 2011 Bloganthropy Awards, visit here.

 About Bloganthropy.org

Bloganthropy.org aims to empower bloggers to become philanthropic leaders in their communities. The annual Bloganthropy Awards recognize those who have made a difference by using social media to effectively promote a cause or charity.

 About Child’s Play Communications

Child’s Play Communications specializes exclusively in public relations, social media and word-of-mouth communications for products and services targeted to moms. Based in New York City, the agency has launched an exciting array of proprietary services to engage this influential market through traditional media, online and in-person, including the award-winning Team Mom™, the agency’s own network of mom review-bloggers. Recent company awards have included Bulldog’s PR Innovation of the Year and Social Media Innovator of the Year. For additional information, please visit our Web site, our blog, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.

 About GIVE Education

Through the GIVE Education program, P&G is teaming with Communities In Schools to help fight the dropout crisis and keep more than one million kids in school. The program encourages consumers to help keep kids in school through the redemption of P&G brandSAVER coupons and use of social media tools designed to inspire others to support the cause. For each July 31 P&G brandSAVER coupon redeemed, two cents will be donated to Communities In Schools – one of the nation’s leading dropout prevention organizations, and one that is proven to increase graduation rates and decrease dropout rates.

GIVE Education is part of P&G’s myGIVE program, a social sustainability platform designed to inspire and enable people to use their everyday purchases to touch lives and improve life. To learn more, visit. www.facebook.com/pgmygive.

My son turned 21 today.

Yes, I know. This blog is supposed to be about the social and marketing trends that impact moms — and it has been since its start.

But not today. Today, my son turned 21 and for once, I’d like to blog as a mom rather than as a marketer.

Until I was in my early 30s, I had no interest in parenthood. None. I loved working: It challenged and motivated and excited me. There was no place in my head or in my heart for anything else.

And then.

And then, one day, a few years after I  married  a man who almost got away because he wanted children and I didn’t, my head began to swivel each time I passed a baby on the street. Linda Blair in The Exorcist had nothing on me. I wanted a child, and after one miscarriage, a bit of surgery, and a lot of pregnancy kits, (the child now known as ) CollegeBoy was born.  And I became that most miraculous of beings, a mother.

And for that, I am grateful to God,  my husband, the two doctors in the delivery room with me, healthy family genes,  luck, and a well executed Cesarean.

It was in that delivery room that  I fell completely, utterly, hopelessly in love.

My son turned 21 today, and this is what I wrote in his birthday card:

You are, and have always been, the light of our lives.

You are the best thing that ever happened to us.

We are so amazingly proud of you for the kind of man you are.

We wouldn’t change a thing.

Remember always that we are your best friends and greatest supporters through life.

Thank you for everything.

Love always, Mom and Dad

 We thought you’d enjoy a video featuring highlights of Child’s Play Communicatons’ third annual Bloggers Brunch, held April 13th in Los Angeles: Child’s Play Communications 2010 Los Angeles Bloggers Brunch