How do you deal with hurtful comments on your blog?

[Mammasaurus]

Today I posted about feeling bad about my 3 year old daughter who was found to have a huge tick on her head a couple of days ago.
The madam in question is a hair brush dodging, water repellent sort and I feel awful that I hadn't noticed.
I had some lovely supportive comments and then one rather harsh one, about how this mum would notice a ttick on her dog let alone her child. I ignored it as I welcome all opinions. A few people commented about the slightly harsh comment and then the offending blogger cam back with other comments such as 'neglectful' and how 'no wonder social services are so busy'
Very rude. personal and hurtful - not to mention ignorant of the great work that Social Services do.

So my question is how do you deal with hurtful comments? I don't want to start deleting peoples comments as everyone has opinions but I am now very upset indeed :(

Any advice most welcome x

[lisad123]

i delete them :)

[wannaBe]

set your comments to be moderated before publishing.

I'm all for lively debate but personal insults are just not on and I just wouldn't let them be published.

[Trills]

Delete and ignore.

Do not engage.

The internet is full of twats - do not ever read the comments on youtube.

[Trills]

This may help

[Thumbwitch]

You are feeling bad = guilty; this rude person has just tapped into your guilt and made it worse.

I know it's easy enough to say "ignore it" and as hard as anything to do it - but that is what you are going to have to do. The person is being utterly sanctimonious (rather like a few people on MN sometimes!) and is one of those who likes to kick people when they're down - do you want to take on that person's opinion of you as being the right one, the only one that matters, when you have several others who have supported you? Rationally the answer to that question has to be No - you do NOT want to absorb the sanctimonious one's opinion of you as being correct because that would demean you. Rise above it. You are better than that - and that person is a mean spirited puppy-kicker.

[Mammasaurus]

Thank you ladies - I have had to delete her last few comments as she started offending my readers. And to top it off he has now written a post on how I do not deserve to be a parent and alikened my daughters tick on her head to someone rubbing their childs faeces in their face.
How horrible, I cant believe people like that are out there...

[overmydeadbody]

Goodness, I am shocked at that horrible woman! I have never encountered horrible comments but I would simply delete it, and then cry and possibly get angry. I would feel quite sick at someone being do horrible on my blog.

Definately delete them and set your comments to be moderated in future so you can delete anything by her without reading it. Stupid hurtful ignorant woman.

[overmydeadbody]

and, imo, blogs are not like public forums, they are private things and not everyone's opinion is welcome or valid. You get to choose who's comments stay on your own blog. I hope you feel better soon, don't put too much thought into it or you will let her have the control. Ignore her, every time you start thinking about her comments stop yourself and think of something lovely instead, that way you give her no power over you.

[MmeGuillotine]

What is The Real Mum's top secret other identity? I'm curious.

Hope you are okay, Mammasaurus. It's not nice to be the target of so much spite. I think linking to her blog post about you is a brave move but wouldn't personally give her the satisfaction.

When I get nasty comments (they come from either insane middle aged men who think I need putting in my place or virtually illiterate Tudors fans in the US) I either engage them in a bit of chatter or delete, depending on how irritating I find them.

[Tee2072]

The few times I have received negative things on my blog I have left them. Did they upset me? Sure. But then I remembered that it's just some stranger hiding behind a screen name on the internet. Same as I try to remember here on MN.

[PetiteRaleuse]

I ignore. I've had a few mean comments but the nastiest stuff I got was sent by email to my blog email address. I was even wondering if I should alert someone to them. But I just ignored those too and got nothing else so have archived them just in case.

Sorry she was so hard on you. FWIW I live in an area of France well known for nasty ticks, and I once didn't notice one on myself until the morning after my walk with the dog in the woods. They are nasty little buggers, very sly, and to judge someone for not noticing one is just ridiculous.

[MmeLindor.]

I haven't had any really nasty comments (yet) but the borderline comments, I answered politely and firmly.

Fwiw, we get a lot of ticks in the area where we used to live and they are easily missed. I found a huuuuge one on my dog last summer, it was easily as big as the one you described, and was on her chin so could not have been there for long or I would have felt it.

The blogger has the right to express her opinion, but I felt that the constant badgering, with several comments and then the carrying it on to her own blog - that crossed the line, imo.