The Creative Notebook

I have always encouraged my children to Journal. I promised them that I would never read their journal, invade their privacy. I truly believe journal writing can be healing. I wanted my own kids to know and explore what keeping a journal can give back to them.

I have an 18yo daughter and my son will be 14 next month. My son isn’t interested, but my daughter is an avid journal keeper. I bought her a notebook for Christmas, a big one from the book store of the University she will be starting next month. She filled it full, I mean full, and is ready for another one. She was so proud of the fact that she filled the whole notebook. We talk al ot about how writing down your problems, or releasing your anger to the privacy of the page helps to calm you down so you can focus on the matter without the anger being in the way. She talks a lot about other young adults she know and their reaction to her writing. She tells me they don’t understand why she does it and will say things like ” awe, you are writing in your diary.” Or they want to know what she’s writing, if she’s writing about them. She wants to write whenever she needs to without the unwanted attention. It’s the classic problem when you journal in public. How do you go unnoticed so you can write without judgement or interruptions?

That’s why she uses regular notebooks instead of a fancy journal. But she still keeps writing. And she tries to pass it on to a friend if they seem interested and not teasing. I’m so proud of her and the woman she’s become. I’m glad I could share the power of journaling with her.

In fact, my first published essay, which was in the journal writing magazine put out by the people who publish Writer’s Digest, was about her journal writing as a very young child in second grade.. She inspires me in ways she’s not aware of. I’m so lucky to have my children.

Now, how do you get a teenage boy interested in journaling? I’d settle for an interest in reading. I’d love to hear some ideas.