How and why do I write?
Living in this large family provides many moments that are meant to be shared (for good reasons and not-so-good reasons). Unfortunately, I don’t record them as much as I’d like. By the end of the day, I usually just want to collapse in bed. I fully admit to being deficient in my writing, but I also fully admit some evenings I’m not willing to recall and record the shareable moment.
My lack of writing is also due to WHEN I recall/remember the shareable moment and I don’t have a writing tool. It has been suggested that I use the recorder on my phone. However, my best ideas usually come to me in the shower, which isn’t practical in the wet environment. I suppose I could use a bathtub crayon on the shower walls…. I’d need to prep my husband first, though. His suspicion that I’m psychotic and on the verge of a breakdown doesn’t need to be confirmed with my random thoughts on our shower walls.
With resolve to write more, I decided to sign up for Christina Katz’s 21 Moments Writing Challenge. Twenty-one moments might be a challenge for some folks, but for me and my life, more clarification is probably required. Twenty-one moments in one day? In one hour? Depending on the situation, I could easily find 21 distinct moments simultaneously. So, I tweaked my approach to the Challenge by weaving my 21 moments into one story. I’m on day 5 and writing 2 pages per day….. I’m still considering myself quite brilliant.
One moment that won’t be included in my 600 page novel took place in Prince Rupert, Canada. We were PCSing (permanent change of station for the non-military readers) from Kodiak, Alaska to Houston, Texas and had ferried for 4 days from Kodiak. Our ferry was delayed 24 hours in Ketchikan, Alaska, so our Canadian road trip portion was behind schedule. At midnight, in an Alaskan/Canadian summer dusky light, we disembarked and found the first campground on the main road for rest.
Our nerves were on edge, our routines abandoned and our sense of impending disaster was heightened. When we awoke the next morning, it was decided for time saving that everyone would shower in the campground’s public showers rather than using our camper’s shower, which would require dumping the water tank before getting on the road. I was tasked with bathing the twins, who were upset about leaving the familiarity of our traveling home.
To make the task easier, I decided to load them in my truck and drive across the campground to the showers. As I hauled them out of the vehicle, I explained the bathing plan and herded them into the shower room. They began to protest in whines. Their whines turned to screams when I attempted to put them in the shower. Screams, mind you, that could be heard for miles. Screams from two little deaf boys who can’t wear their hearing devices in the shower and find comfort in my voice. Screams from two little boys who were frazzled, who just wanted to go back to our home in Kodiak. Screams from TWO little boys that sounded as though I was torturing or maiming them.
What I wanted to maim were my own eardrums. With a dull screwdriver. I hadn’t even attempted to brush my hair in my rush to get my screamers back into their confines. I’d barely put on clothes and only managed one foot in a shoe. So, when I opened the door and stepped out of the shower room to find a strange man bending over in front of my truck taking a photo of my license plate, I paused. I considered the facts – mom torturing two little boys in a public shower and looking like she’s in need of her next meth fix – and debated interrupting the man’s actions. But, I didn’t.
My truck was registered in Alaska with our Texas address, so we joked for the rest of our month-long, cross country trip that Child Protective Services would be waiting at our door. In a twisted way, this worked well for my sanity, thinking someone might be willing to give me a break at the end of this journey. Ironically, bathing the boys in our camper shower had the same effect.
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Silly me, I thought when I got married and had children, if I did for them, they would do for me! I wanted children could see what needed to be done and come tell me they did it for me without my prodding all the time.Oh, the frustration and high anxiety that caused me. I finally found an interactive parenting app at happyfacetokens.com. It is a discipline program that helps children give happy, first time obedience while learning to think of others, build moral character and learn educational concepts. I like it for many reasons, but it is fabulous using it strong willed children. It gives balance and fairness to the discipline of children and helps unite parenting and family togetherness. My strong willed child responded completely to this program. I was amazed at how compliant and happy she became. It is guaranteed for 30 days too. I don’t know of too many books and parenting programs that are. It is really an amazing program that comes jam-packed with ideas and an outlined program with guaranteed success for happy parenting experiences. It also outlines a Christian parenting discipline program solidly based on the scriptures using the Garden of Eden as the beginning point for building a happy family garden. The author asks what the difference is between a bribe, blessing and reward. I used to say, Why should I bribe my child to do what I say? I am the mother-I ask, they do. But I learned something very important at biblebasedparenting101.com that changed my whole thought process. Now I bless and reward I feel so much better about myself and my parenting skills. The children thank me and tell me I am the best mom in the world while they happily do what I ask.