Image credit: © theballatician
If you blog and you have children you know how hard it can be at times. You want time for your blog, and they want time with you. Well how about getting them to help? Here is a list of ways to get your kids involved with your blogging endeavours.
Before We Get Started
One thing, before I get into this list, you should take the time to sit down with your kids and show them your blog. Explain what it is that you do on your computer all day, and get them as excited about your blog as you are. Oh, and trust me, the hard part here won’t be getting your kids excited, the hard part will be you trying to keep up with their excitement. 
1. Living Alarm Clock
Just tell your kids when certain things need to be done by and ask them to remind you. If your kids are anything like mine you’ll never miss another deadline again. Well, at least not because you’ve forgotten it. They’ll also give you a kick up the bum to remind you to follow up and reply to any new comments on your blog. And guess what’ll happen if you tell them there’s no new comments? They’ll wanna know why you haven’t been promoting your site enough. Or why you haven’t been leaving comments on other blogs. They’ll be asking you if the comments you are leaving are good enough. Have you been talking to enough people on Twitter?
If you make it through that (daily) interrogation, and they’re still not satisfied… Well, then they’ll start on your content. Is your content the best it can be? Should you post more often? Did you even ask the people to comment? Maybe you just forgot to ask? Are you sure that you are writing the things that the people want to read? Don’t worry, Dad, the people probably just had a hard day at work and are too tired to read your blog today. You better tell them to read it tomorrow instead. That’s a 5 year old’s way of saying: keep promoting!
2. Junior Brainstormers
Kids are absolutely brilliant to bounce ideas off. Seriously, don’t overlook them, they’re a valuable resource. They have this certain way of looking at the world that is remarkably refreshing and pure. If you got some ideas for upcoming articles, run them by your kids and see what they think. If they’re young enough they’ll have loads of questions about your ideas. That in itself will do wonders for your creativity because it solidifies it in your own mind as you are explaining it to them.
Very often they will offer you ideas and suggestions about how you could make the article better. No doubt that some of these ideas will seem fairly whacky to you, but don’t dismiss them straight away. Sometimes, hidden down under the whackiness will be snippets of brilliance. Of course, sometimes their ideas will be brilliant, right from the get-go. The key thing is to always listen to them. I promise you that if they see you are taking them seriously, they will try even harder next time to come up with even better and more brilliant ideas.
3. Assistant Proofreaders
Let them proofread your articles before they go live. Depending on how old your children are they may not catch every typo, or grammatical blunder, but I can tell you now that if they don’t understand the article, you’re in trouble. I know what you’re thinking: oh but my kids are too young, they couldn’t possibly understand what I’m writing about, my little Mary is only 11, and Johnny, he’s only 8! If you are thinking along those lines, then I ask you to think about this: Newspapers, you know those things that only adults read, they are written so that 7 and 8 year olds can read and comprehend them. I’m sure Johnny and Mary will have little difficulty with your articles. Besides, you’re right there with them answering all their questions.
4. Site Promotion
Kids have friends, and these friends have parents. Parents just like you, and if they are just like you then there’s a good chance that some of them will be interested in what you are writing about on your blog. No, I’m not suggesting that you tell you children to tell their friends that their parents should read your blog. But if your children have been involved in your blog in some way, there’s a good chance that they’ll be talking about it to their mates.
The good thing about this one is that it pretty much works on auto-pilot. Or as a nice side-effect of the other things on this list.
Of course, if your children are old enough to have their own Twitter or Facebook accounts, then I see no reason why you shouldn’t ask them to promote your site directly.
5. Site Chef
What’s a site chef, you ask? Oh, they’re absolutely invaluable. Every blogger should have one on their payroll. A site chef is that miracle worker that prepares snacks and drinks, sometimes even dinners and other meals, for you so that you can keep on being so awesomely creative.
6. Site Barista
Very closely related to the site chef, this gift from the gods specialises in making and fetching coffee. Sweet, sweet manna from heaven. Cup after cup, pot after pot of delicious coffee. No! You cannot have my site barista. Get your own and keep your eyes off mine!
7. Junior VA
A lot of us aspire to one day have our very own VA (Virtual Assistant), some of you may already have one. But for those of us that aren’t quite there yet, our kids may be just what we’re looking for. Obviously it’ll depend on their age and competence as to what tasks you assign them.
8. Guest Poster
Every now and then you might even let your children guest post on your blog. My 2 have both written articles here and they loved it. For days after their articles had been published they’d come home after school and want to get on the computer to see if they had any new comments.
9. Graphic Designer
You’ve just written a killer article but you can’t find a decent image on flickr to go with it. Why not let your budding graphic design artist draw an original for you? They’ll get a huge buzz when they see it on your blog with their name under it as the attribution… “Image credit: © Kaitlyn Youngs”
Untapped Resource
As you can see, there are many ways that your children can help you with your blogging. All you need to do is let them get involved. Believe me, their enthusiasm will knock your socks off. But please, if they do help you out, give them heaps of credit and praise. Do it privately, and do it publicly. You’d be surprised what seeing their own name up in lights does for a child’s self-esteem (not to mention how keen they’ll be to help you again). I’ll leave it up to you as to how you might reward and compensate them for their efforts and contributions. The coffee I drank while writing this cost me home-made burgers for dinner tonight (it’s one of Kaitlyn’s favourites).
Till next time…
Help me write more great articles like this, fuel my mojo with a coffee!
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Splendid article!
Thanks, mate. Glad you liked it!
Twitter: SteveYoungs
Love this list Steve.
I’m not quite where you are with your kids as mine are only 4 and 18months but I definitely think you’re right about getting them involved and I think that extends to the whole family really.
I remember really enjoying the post from Kaitlyn earlier in the year. Children guest posters are a must for me.
Ben wrote: Hermione Granger does personal development 5 magical tips for growth
Hey Ben!
Welcome back, mate! Yeah, your two are a little young yet. Although… I bet your 4 year old could draw some wicked pictures for her Dad’s blog articles, and if your kids are anything like mine, they inspire your writings just by being them.
Speaking of Kaitlyn, she has a couple of articles in drafts right now that she’s slowly working on, so you can expect more from her some time soon.
Thanks very much for taking the time to stop by and comment, mate. I really appreciate that.
Kind regards,
Steve
Twitter: SteveYoungs
What a brilliant idea Steve. You should have written this post bloody years ago mate as my kids are too damn old to listen to the old man anymore. I’ve mentioned it to them several times and even offered to start a blog up for them. No dice, not even when they’ve seen there is money to be made. Oh well, at least they’re not getting in the way of my blogging.
Getting the young kids involved is a great idea because blogging can teach them so much. If they take it really seriously imagine what marketers they will make when they’re old enough to have their own. You could even be their manager
Sire wrote: It’s Time For A Little Link Luv
Twitter: AussieSire
Hey, mate!
Great to see you back again! Sorry about taking so long to write that one, mate… I had to wait for my kids to get old enough to test what I was talking about.
Oh, that’s a brilliant idea about being their manager. Now, lets see… what would be an appropriate commission or fee for that, I wonder?
Thanks for stopping by, mate.
Kind regards,
Steve
Twitter: SteveYoungs
No worries mate, it’s always a pleasure reading one of your posts, especially when I learn something new, even if it is a little late
Sire wrote: Learning How To Use Market Samurai
Twitter: AussieSire
You know what they say, Peter, it’s never too late to learn something new. It’s just that occasionally there are time constraints on when you can implement what you learn.
But even if you do miss the boat on implementation, you can always pass on the knowledge to someone who still can. So all is not lost.
Twitter: SteveYoungs
This is great stuff, Steve! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this post.
I laughed out loud when I read the part about your kids being a site chef!
I also think it’s awesome that you let your kids guest post here. I’m sure they just love that!
Hmmm… All of this has got me thinking… Maybe I should adopt a kid to help me with my blogging
Tristan wrote: 7 Major Lessons in Blog Advertising from Technorati’s Top 20 Blogs
Twitter: tristanhigbee
Hi Tristan!
Oh, you just gotta have a site chef, mate. I mean, really, who wants to get up and prepare dinner when you’re in the middle of writing a killer article?
My kids love to cook, Kaitlyn especially. And her coffees? Wow! They’re outta this world. Every bit as good as what I can make.
As for your adopt-a-blogger idea… hmm, you better be careful with that one, I hear you can’t get your money back if they don’t live up to expectations.
Really glad you enjoyed this article, Tristan. Thanks for stopping by and commenting (and thanks for the RT, too)
Kind regards,
Steve
Twitter: SteveYoungs
MAYBE YOU SHOULD WRITE ABOUT YOUR COFFEES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Haha! Perhaps I should, honey. But only if you promise to make me another cup.
And thank you very much for commenting, Kaitlyn. You’ve made my day!
Love you to bits!!
xoxo
Daddy!
Twitter: SteveYoungs
This is really a wonderful article. I am not a father (actually I am just a kid) but your idea shows how you can effectively use the environment around you for blogging. Thanks for sharing an useful article.
Sathish @ TechieMania wrote: Top Tips To Effectively Market your Business Online
Twitter: sonasathish
Hi Sathish!
Welcome to my little part of the blogosphere. It’s great to have you here.
I’m glad you liked my article, Sathish. I firmly believe that if you are going to be a successful blogger (whatever that might mean to you) you will need the support of those around you. Whether that be your children, or other family, or friends, it doesn’t matter.
Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by and comment, Sathish. I really appreciate that. Hope I see you back here again soon.
Kind regards,
Steve
Twitter: SteveYoungs
I think getting your kids involved is a great idea, more and more kids these days are starting blogging at a young age.
Dan Lew wrote: Keyword Winner – Version 13 Release Update
Twitter: danlew
Hi Dan!
Welcome to one of my little bits of this thing we call an “Internet”. Great to see you here!
Yes, it make things run a hell of a lot smoother (most of the time).
I don’t know if either of mine will one day want to start their own blogs, but if they ever do they’ll be going into it with their eyes open, and with my full support, of course.
Thanks for taking the time to stop and leave a comment, Dan. I really appreciate that. I hope to see you back here again soon.
Kind regards,
Steve.
P.S. I had to fish your comment out of the spam, mate. Askimet didn’t like you for some reason.
Twitter: SteveYoungs
Hey Steve
First time visitor to your blog
I loved your article, I have young kids and I do try to involve them as I work online in my spare time, but it;s tough as they find it boring most of the time ha!
But you gave me some super cool tips I am going to try and use on them!
The kids guest post was my favourite one.
Thanks for making me smile today, Alex.
Alex Neill wrote: My Internet Marketing Journey Starts Here
Twitter: superaffiliatex
Hi Alex!
Welcome to my site, mate! It’s great to have you here.
Haha, yes, a child’s attention span isn’t the biggest thing in the world. I find it best to just let things ride when it is obvious they’re bored out of their brains. I never force them to do anything. If I can’t excite them or interest them enough for them to want to do it, then they don’t have to. I want them to see it as something fun or exciting to do…. something that makes them feel important. I also know that one day (some time during their teens, I expect) I’ll lose my “little helpers”, but until that day arrives… “Kaitlyn! Daddy’s coffee cup is empty!”
Glad you liked my article, Alex. Oh, and look out for more guest posts from Kaitlyn coming soon. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment, mate. Hope to see you back here again, soon.
Kind regards,
Steve
P.S. Aksimet didn’t like you, mate, I had to fish you out of my spam.
Twitter: SteveYoungs
Beautiful! Especially the Site Barista. Will be sharing this gem with my network, thanks!
Barbara Ling, Virtual Coach wrote: A Very Merry Lingized Networking Meme
Hi Barbara!
I’m very happy to read you enjoyed my article. And thank you very much for commenting and sharing. You rock!
Kind regards,
Steve
Twitter: SteveYoungs
Steve,
First time coming to your blog,
Love the point #site promotion, LOL i am a mother of two and i know when my eldest Son has something new from home, he immediately invited his friends from school to come.
Indeed, this analogy is almost similar, thanks for pointing it out.
Kimi wrote: Reasons to use thesis theme- why i changed my theme to Thesis
Hi Kimi!
Welcome to my little bit of the blogosphere. It’s really great to have you here.
Yep, kids are really great at spreading the word. We just have to make sure they’re spreading the right word.
Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by and comment, Kimi. I really appreciate that, and I hope I’ll see you back here again, soon.
Kind regards,
Steve.
Twitter: SteveYoungs
This is a wonderful piece, Steve
Really nice to way to have the family involved, letting the kids express their creativity. This is the first post I’ve really seen like this and it’s a great idea. The kids will always remember this.
Jimi Jones wrote: Achieving Work Life Balance
Twitter: JimiJones
Hi Jimi!
Welcome to one of my little parts of the Internet, mate. It’s great to see you here!
Creativity is something kids have in abundance, it’d be a crime against humanity to not give it every opportunity you could to let it out.
I’m glad you enjoyed my article, mate. Thanks very much for taking the time to stop by and leave a comment. I really appreciate that. Hope I see you back here again very soon.
Kind regards,
Steve.
Twitter: SteveYoungs
well i dont have kids of my own .. i certainly hope to have some of my own one day .. but i already do find it quite hard to allocate time for my blog .. do you have any advice? you seem to be doing terrific!
cool stuff wrote: Jfold Wallets
Hello, Jun!
Welcome to one of my little parts of the Internet. Nice to see you here.
Advice for allocating time for blogging? I’d suggest better time management. An excellent system for that is GTD (Getting Things Done).
BTW, I’m guessing that you meant to take advantage of the KeywordLuv on the “cool stuff” keywords, yeah? To do that you need to use YOURNAME@YOUR KEYWORDS in the name field of the comment form. Don’t forget the “@”, otherwise the plugin won’t pick it up.
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment, Jun, I really appreciate that.
Kind regards,
Steve
Twitter: SteveYoungs
Another great post. I wonder if my son would want to do a guest post for me? He’s 13 and fancies himself a rapper.
Maybe I can get him to write/rap a post for me.
Danielle McGaw @ social media for freelance writers wrote: The Social Media Secret for Freelance Writers
Twitter: DanielleMcGaw
A rap post… hmm… that could be interesting.
Definitely put it to him and see what he says.
Twitter: SteveYoungs
My sister has two kids and a 10h job. I keep stressing her to write more often on her blog
She used to write every day, but lately she only writes 1-2 times a week. I guess her time management skills aren’t very good.
Alex@gifts for wife wrote: Ruched Ruffle Holiday Party Cocktail Halter Dress
Twitter: alexgheorghitan
Hi Alex!
Does your sister get her kids to help out with her blogging in any way? Maybe you should show her this article.
There’s nothing wrong with writing only 1 or 2 articles a week, and it may not have anything at all to do with time management that she is doing so. I don’t subscribe to the “you have to post every day” bullshit, and I’m very glad to hear that your sister doesn’t either.
Thanks for stopping by again, mate.
Kind regards,
Steve
Twitter: SteveYoungs