Today, I ...
Jun. 22nd, 2009 03:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
texchanHeh. For some reason, I'm flashing back to those horrid days of elementary, junior high, and high school when we were forced to keep journals as class projects. It's weird how much I hated doing that. Hated, hated, hated, hated it. You would think I'd be in seventh heaven, considering how much I love to write. Even then, writing was -- well, it was my passion. My secret passion then. Not-so-secret now, I guess. My school journals, though, never reflected that. I was the kid in class who, if seen through the pages of my school journal, was a steady, unwavering shade of beige. Boring. Boring, boring, boring. We were supposed to put our thoughts and concerns about life. Supposed to be open with our feelings, yadda, yadda, yadda. Yeah, right. Even in elementary school, I knew someone would be reading them. It was a school project, after all, which meant teachers would look at them. How could I put my deepest thoughts down ... or write the stories that lingered in my soul ... or, well, anything ... knowing this? I couldn't. Plain and simple.
So, basically, I started each entry with: "Today, I ... blah, blah, blah *insert boring shit here*" And I always felt like a failure. (Although my not-so-public journals were anything but beige.) Ah well. I guess I've gotten somewhat better at knowing others might read what I write. It still scares the bejeezus out of me, but I force myself to work through that, at least. Even so, I still censor my thoughts, feelings, and opinions. Some things are private. And they should stay that way.
My daughter, who is five, decided to start a journal today. I guess that's what has me thinking back on all my years of journaling failure. (And, I suppose blogging failure now, since I'm on the WWW. LOLz) She asked me how to make a journal, so I gave her one of my cheaper Moleskine notebooks. I explained how to put the date at the top. Then, I told her to write about what she had done during the day. She's in the other room, working on it now. Hopefully, it'll be a fun project that she can continue for the summer to improve her writing skills. Then again, she is just as likely to use up an entire notebook's worth of space scribbling and drawing for one entry. She's five -- what can I expect? At least she's willing to give it a try. Here's hoping she doesn't feel like a journaling failure, too.
In other news, we had the doctor's visit today. They tested for H1N1 and other kinds of flu and for Strep. All good news, as the tests were negative. No ear infection, and her congestion wasn't really in her chest or lungs, even though it sounded that way when she coughed. So, it looks like a run-of-the-mill virus. Good news that it's not more serious. Bad news that there's nothing much to do but tough it out. I hate that. Poor little critter. =(
The doctor's visit was a nightmare. They had to flush out her ears to see whether or not there was an infection. That didn't go well. It's not a painful procedure, but my daughter hated the sound and feeling of the water going into her ears. So she screamed the whole time. Then, off to the lab for the nasal and throat swabs. More screaming. At this point, she was basically just on the edge. I could feel a huge temper tantrum coming on because she doesn't feel good, she was upset over all the poking and prodding, and she just wanted to get the heck outta Dodge. Can't say I blame her. She pulled it together, though. Brave trooper.
After the whole doctor's office thing, I let her pick anything she wanted for lunch. (She picked Mickey D's ... what can I say? For a 5-year-old, that's big stuff. LOLz) We got lunch, went home to eat and watch a bit of TV. Then we headed to Borders. I treated her to a new movie, a stuffed animal, and a book. I figured she deserved it after that ordeal.
On the way out of Borders, she told me it had been a really great day. Then she paused for a moment before adding, "Except for that whole doctor thing."
So, basically, I started each entry with: "Today, I ... blah, blah, blah *insert boring shit here*" And I always felt like a failure. (Although my not-so-public journals were anything but beige.) Ah well. I guess I've gotten somewhat better at knowing others might read what I write. It still scares the bejeezus out of me, but I force myself to work through that, at least. Even so, I still censor my thoughts, feelings, and opinions. Some things are private. And they should stay that way.
My daughter, who is five, decided to start a journal today. I guess that's what has me thinking back on all my years of journaling failure. (And, I suppose blogging failure now, since I'm on the WWW. LOLz) She asked me how to make a journal, so I gave her one of my cheaper Moleskine notebooks. I explained how to put the date at the top. Then, I told her to write about what she had done during the day. She's in the other room, working on it now. Hopefully, it'll be a fun project that she can continue for the summer to improve her writing skills. Then again, she is just as likely to use up an entire notebook's worth of space scribbling and drawing for one entry. She's five -- what can I expect? At least she's willing to give it a try. Here's hoping she doesn't feel like a journaling failure, too.
In other news, we had the doctor's visit today. They tested for H1N1 and other kinds of flu and for Strep. All good news, as the tests were negative. No ear infection, and her congestion wasn't really in her chest or lungs, even though it sounded that way when she coughed. So, it looks like a run-of-the-mill virus. Good news that it's not more serious. Bad news that there's nothing much to do but tough it out. I hate that. Poor little critter. =(
The doctor's visit was a nightmare. They had to flush out her ears to see whether or not there was an infection. That didn't go well. It's not a painful procedure, but my daughter hated the sound and feeling of the water going into her ears. So she screamed the whole time. Then, off to the lab for the nasal and throat swabs. More screaming. At this point, she was basically just on the edge. I could feel a huge temper tantrum coming on because she doesn't feel good, she was upset over all the poking and prodding, and she just wanted to get the heck outta Dodge. Can't say I blame her. She pulled it together, though. Brave trooper.
After the whole doctor's office thing, I let her pick anything she wanted for lunch. (She picked Mickey D's ... what can I say? For a 5-year-old, that's big stuff. LOLz) We got lunch, went home to eat and watch a bit of TV. Then we headed to Borders. I treated her to a new movie, a stuffed animal, and a book. I figured she deserved it after that ordeal.
On the way out of Borders, she told me it had been a really great day. Then she paused for a moment before adding, "Except for that whole doctor thing."
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2009-06-23 06:06 pm (UTC)I was the same way as you with the journals I had to do in school. Today after school I went to work and blah blah blah. Boring, I'm pretty sure I threw them away... just like I did my sketch journals I had to keep for art class. Maybe if I would have kept them the could have reminded me that I have a small talent for drawing. LOL. Oh well, even now my talent for the journal/blogging thing is quite lacking. OH well, I'm trying even if it doesn't show. haha.
I hope your daughter enjoys keeping her journal though. Should be a good experience for her. :)
(no subject)
Date: 2009-06-23 10:23 pm (UTC)I think she enjoys the idea of keeping a journal. Even though she's really a bit too young for it. She spends a lot of time drawing pictures in it, but that's OK. Just so long as she starts to get the feel for it.
I still like to journal. I mostly do it here on LJ, so I try to keep things a bit light. My private journals used to be very angsty, although maybe I've grown out of that a bit in my old age. *laughs* I don't really have time to keep a private journal, anyhow -- between writing and LJ and my writing journal on Dreamwidth. Too much to do. Too little time, as always.