When I first visited ‘Trying to Forgive’ some background music started to play. I tend not to like these sort of add-ons, especially the ones that loop over and over but, press stop on your browser, and the annoyance goes away. I was a little confused by the title ‘Trying to Forgive’ because the header on the blog is ‘Just One Step’. Regardless, it’s a catchy title and instantly I assume this place is about some sort of inner struggles. I check the profile, not much information other than a name, Kel. I make another assumption, this blog belongs to a girl. After looking over the template, which is simple, nothing flashy, I start to drill down on some archives – it’s there that I was taken back to my teen years and reminded in an instant how hard it is to grow up.
As it turns out, Kel is actually a boy, a 15 year old boy who writes about his every day struggles with popularity, girls, and his parents. He goes to church, he goes to school, he hangs out with his friends, and he loves his dog. He seems, at first glance, normal. As I read more of his posts it became clear that this kid, is anything but normal. Just a few of the hooks that kept me reading, turns out Kel has attempted suicide, he is in love with a girl that doesn’t love him back (how many of us adults can relate to that), he loves his parents – but hates them at the same time, he worries about losing his best friend, and he writes about feeling pressure to live up to everyone’s expectations. Kel gives a little insight as to what it’s like to grow up in today’s world. He makes you keep reading, keep clicking, keep searching – for more tidbits about who he is.
The design of the blog is pretty simple as I stated previously but it’s simplicity really helps the reader focus in on the more important content, the posts. He’s added a few general links and a couple of spaces for people to advertise, but honestly these things don’t contribute or take away from the blog itself.
I was unsure about rating this blog when I first clicked the URL link. After all, I’m a grown up and I don’t really care to re-visit my teenage years. I quickly changed my mind after reading a few posts because what Kel was able to do, was remind me that life is hard, no matter what age you are. I’d recommend this blog to parents; it offers a bit of insight that may help you understand your little adult.
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