Rough Draft

 "My mother had a great deal of trouble with me, but I think she enjoyed it." Mark Twain

Peanut and I have gotten off to a rocky start here in the third grade. Each year I pick one specific academic goal to be my main target, and then our other objectives take second seat to that.

This year I have chosen being able to write both a fiction narrative and a non fiction report.

I knew this was going to be a large undertaking. I signed Peanut up for a class at co-op that focuses on the non fiction report. I also chose a Language Arts class where she will read good narratives and learn what they sound like.

Peanut is an excellent story teller. Her stories have beginnings, middles, and ends. They are engaging with great transitions.

Peanut however will not write her stories down.

She struggles with spelling and does not want to write anything down on paper that is not perfect.

No matter how many times I explain the idea of a rough draft that can be later edited and corrected, she wants everything to look like a polished finished product from the start.

As we work through our sixth week of school, we've had some hard growing pains as I have insisted she try. Insisted she embrace the rough draft stage. Insisted she rise to her own potential.

I've refused to spell anything for her in the rough draft stage.

Peanut has been very upset about this. It's been stressful and ugly around here during the writing hour most days.

My goal isn't for Peanut to become a good writer (though I do see that in her future).

My goal isn't to improve Peanut's spelling (though that would be a good bonus).

My goal is to teach Peanut that she CAN do hard things.

I want Peanut to learn to handle the messy and hard.

To embrace the rough draft seasons of life.

All too often I think we all envision that life should always look like the polished paper that we turn in to the teacher.

For those who have spent any time writing, that is the end of a very long, growing process.

The best final drafts come from time spent wrestling with the rough draft.

Mama Warriors, as much as I think this is a lesson I desperately want to impart on all three of my children, it's more so a lesson for me.

I encourage you to embrace the rough draft seasons of your life.

The messy mornings. The long nights. The dog who is often more trouble than loveable.

In the rough draft is where we learn we can do hard things.

In the rough draft, that's where we do our best living.