Journal Pen Pals

I found this idea on pinterest about starting a journal with your kids. You write in a composition notebook and write letters back and forth. It can be about anything. The book is between you and one of your children. You tell the child they can write whatever they want in the book. When they are done they leave it on your bed. Then when you can write back, you do. The process repeats itself.  I thought it was a great way to talk between adults and kids. I did a book kinda of like that with a friend in high school and loved it. I sat down with Kenna the night before school started and talked the about the book. I wrote her a letter on the first page asking her if she would be my pen pal. I told her she can ask me questions, write stories, jokes, tell me about her day, anything she wanted. I told her if she was ever embarrassed to talk to me or ask me something she could write it in the book and I could talk to her about it. I told her that it was a special book between her and I and no one else. She seemed pretty excited. As I left her room, she said she had something she wanted to tell me and she would write it down. This morning I found the book on my bed. She told me a secret of hers. I was so excited. I wrote her back while she was school. While we were eating dinner, I told her I read what she wrote and she started smiling really big. She then said, ' I have wanted to tell you for a really long time, but i was too embarrassed.' I  was happy to know that this book helped her talk to me about something she wanted to tell me, but was too embarrassed to talk about. I hope that we can keep up this book as she gets older. I really hope she will continue to talk to me and be open and honest with me. I told her she can talk to me about anything. Even if she thinks she might get in trouble. I told her it is my job as a parent to discipline her and she still might get in trouble. But if I find out from someone else something bad that happened, she would be in much bigger trouble. Anyways....I think this book thing is a good idea for everyone. It also helps children work on their spelling, grammar and punctuation.