Spelling It Out

Once again, I've gotten a comment from that fun-loving reader of this website who  stumbled across my blog, started to read and soon realized that the tales of a mom with a billion little boys were simply not his speed. WHAT IS THE POINT OF THIS????, he asks. He REALLY, REALLY WANTS TO KNOW.

At first, of course, I was tempted to ignore the comment. I have this button on my control panel that allows me to moderate comments here, and I decided to just delete that comment and be on my way. But then I thought, wait. Here is a man who, instead of just walking away from a story that bores him to tears, takes the time to push through his bordom and utter agitation and continue to read what I write. Over and over again. And not just that, but take the time to send a little note asking my point. So I decided I'd take the time to answer.

What is the point of this thing? Who really cares about the minutiae of living in a house of boys, of one woman's perspective of some stupid boring walk? Why would anyone read this?

There are several ways to answer this. The first, and most obvious to me, is that if you have to ask yourself all that, don't bother to read. I can't control what a reader wants -- I can only write my thing and put it out there. If people like it, great! (Sometimes they like it so much it gets printed in national magazines. That's always fun!). But if my writing is not someone's speed, while I appreciate feedback, it's actually easier for me if they simply go find something they do like. The Internet is humongous!

Another answer is this: I write about these details of my life because I want to remember these things. Because I know that it won't be long that my boys are small enough to spend all their freetime with me. I know I'm going to blink and they will be grown and gone. And right now, I'm so happy with the way things are that I write about these tiny details that are such bright spots in my day. Sometimes, it's just me jotting down my thoughts, with no real point whatsoever.

And then there's the deep, philosophical answer I could give, that I write because I want to show other women (and men too) that having children is a worthwhile investment. I want to remind them (and myself) the importance of taking time to enjoy these precious creatures.

For me especially, I want to challenge myself to find the humor and joy in seeing the world through the eyes of a bunch of boys. It is an adventure! And when I continually look for these moments throughout the day, it reminds me of the incredible gift I have been given in raising my sons.