As a writing mother, I am challenged to the cellular level. Finding time. Finding enough time to concentrate, get into the mood. Sometimes for the joy of five good writing minutes.
I am not one of those who are able to write at any time, on the kitchen counter while waiting for the water to boil: cooking and writing simultaneously.
Sometimes, it takes a whole morning or a few hours of those words dancing around for me to be able to put them down on paper. They dance within me. I try to capture their essence. And only then can I sit down and write.
Setting an example
My girls see me write. They know that if I don’t write, even if just for myself in one of my many notebooks, I am not as smiley as I am after I do it. They know that if I have woken up early to write, they need a good excuse to call me out of my office.
They often come in anyway. To sit and read next to me, or to take something out of the craft closet (which is also in my office).
When ideas come to visit, and I wish to run to my notebook to jot them down, my daughters’ behavior reflects whether the idea should be given any attention.
If it should, they are all busy doing something, or they have started crafting, drawing, creating, reading, playing their instruments, or cooking something for dinner (Yes, that happens here sometimes :)).
If the idea visiting, at the edge of my mind, should not get further attention, if it should just pass me by on its way to someone else who should host it and co-create with it, then one of my daughters will need me. At the exact moment at which I try to find my way to my notebook, sometimes after I have already started writing.
Writing as a reflection of being precise
It’s frustrating at first, but then I breathe in and remind myself of what I’m sharing here now:
When something is precise, it is precise for all of us as a family.
Hence, if an idea visited, and there’s a moment of need here, I should let the idea continue on its flight. Bless it so that it will find the right home. The writer who can make the best out of it. Nourish it, feed it, empower it, and then release it to the world, knowing it’s no longer mine.
Journaling and writing are a tool for life
The most rewarding element of my girls seeing me write is their own writing. They keep notes. They write down ideas. They enjoy playing with words. They walk with the tool of writing and journaling in their toolkit for life.
As with everything in parenting, it’s not about what we teach them, it’s about the example we set.
So even when I don’t feel like writing—and I do have some blocked days—I open my journals anyway. Then, it always turns from being an example to a gift of healing words for myself.
If you wish to explore this gift further, I invite you to subscribe to my FREE six-week eCourse: Parenting Awareness Journaling Exercises
