Summertime rolls

Throughout the school year R has struggled with writing not with the academic or developmental capability to do it but just with the willingness to actually put pen to paper. As this school year has been winding down and homework has faded out of the picture he hasn't been writing at all. The truth is that this has been a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders. No longer do I spend the hours between 4:30 pm and 8:00 pm cajoling, begging, bribing or screaming (OK, I'm still screaming a bit). I know that the easy road would be to just let the writing piece sit for the summer. I could easily pretend it's not a reality, I'm quite well versed in that behavior, but it would rear its ugly head come September and possibly with more obstinance.

I've broached the topic of writing over the summer with him a few times and his responses have been less than warm. I'm told that summertime is not the time for "skoolin", but it seems that summertime is here now and it's time for some ground rules. Personally, I think it's good to write just for the sake of writing but I have to admit that I don't do it. I rarely send an email that's longer than a paragraph, I don't write letters, I don't write fiction, I don't write non-fiction and I don't journal so who am I to decree that my son write three times a week when barely write beyond 140 characters. The fact that what we ask of children we would never ask of an adult continues to amaze me . Write. Draw. Paint. Sculpt. Play. Play has to be my favorite as I know that I don't know exactly how to do it uninhibitedly anymore yet I tell my children to go do it all of the time.

This led me to thinking about my behaviors as a writer. I have to say, I like Robert am a very cautious writer. I'm doubtful of my ability to express myself fully with the written word which often leads to me expressing myself more concisely than fully or to just forgoe the process when it's not required. For example, I've conceptualized many a blog post in my head recently and even started to type a few, but then stopped.Usually, I distract myself, decide that my topic is too trite, find that the words I want to use too ordinary or think how many posts can you write about the fact that your dad died and you miss him. I know the answer the latter is as many as it takes for you to find your voice, but finding your voice is easier said than done.

So this summer, I'm putting my written words where my spoken ones are and writing three times a week. If I'm asking my son to do it, then it must also be good for the mom.