Second Sets of Eyes

When I started writing this blog, one or both of my daughters read each post before I published. They gave grammatical and content notes, or sometimes just a thumbs up. It was because they read every day that they knew what I was thinking and because they read every day that they were able to "pinch write" for me when I was sick. But days go by quickly, and the habit of having them read has largely fallen by the wayside.

I realized last night how much I miss that step in the process. It was a night when I was writing far too late. When, after a long day, most of me just wanted to be in bed. But I wrote the post, and when the girls asked to read it and did not exactly give that thumbs up, I was far beyond being able to revise it before posting and going to bed. I hit "publish," and I went to bed feeling terrible that I hadn't been able to address their notes.

While almost any blog comes from the writer's thoughts and feelings, and while one of the glories of this blog is writing and not spending days and months to revise, there is nothing like a second set of eyes to make a post (or any piece of writing) at least a little bit better.  Not only was having my kids read a way of letting them approve writing that might make reference to them, it was almost a bonding experience, a reminder that sometimes kids know better, and I gave that up in order to be able to write and publish whenever I wanted, without being responsible to my young editors.

How I felt after last night's un-edited, not exactly thumbs up post has taught me a lesson. So, though my kids may be doing homework or practicing piano, I will once again be calling upon them to read. Because, while "Not Washed Up Yet" may be filled with my words, it is the story of us all.