I have grown up in a household where both of my parents professions contain and rely on a lot of writing. Being a good writer takes skill. It isn’t something that happens overnight, it takes time, patience and lots of practice. I have none of those skills… yet. My patience level is quite low, my time management… let’s just say we’re working on it, and as for practice, I only write when I have to. I have come to realize that I have to write in my everyday life, whether it’s for school, a letter to my grandmother, or simple communication with a friend. Writing is a huge part of life, and that remains true for everyone whether we like it or not. I personally don’t love it but it’s growing on me, the sole reason being my mother, Sara M. Sara has been helping me write since the 6th grade, or earlier. Have multiple writing sessions ended in tears by a young Lilly R.? Yes. Did young Lilly R. like getting help from her Sara? No. Has Sara’s help benefited Lilly as a person and a writer significantly? Yes.
If I’m writing anything from a short paragraph to a 4 page essay, it’s a little scary handing my computer over to Sara. She is very skilled in the practice of writing, and knows how to give good constructive criticism. When tackling my latest Humanities essay, young Lilly didn’t fully grasp the fact that Sara was only trying to help, and not trying to make her work look bad and unfinished. I am a person who likes to do things on my own time, and if given the opportunity, I will do exactly that. So when it came time to buckle down and start working on the essay for Humanities, asking Sara was an idea, yes, but a scary one. We got the essay assigned two weeks before it was due, and before I knew it, Sara swooped in like a hawk to help. I was not ecstatic about this. At all. After a few minutes of very careful consideration, I decided it would be best to accept Sara’s help. We started planning my process for the essay on a Sunday night, every fifteen year olds dream, right? The two week process for finishing the essay was an interesting one. I enjoyed it, to an extent. Working with Sara was a challenge. We disagreed on plenty of things, I got frustrated, Sara got frustrated, and it was tough for both of us to want to keep working together. Keep in mind this is a mother daughter duo, so you never know what the outcome will be. After two weeks of some bickering, lots of stress, headaches and no tears (surprisingly), the essay was beautifully polished and ready to go.
Part of me can’t help but think that the essay is the majority of Sara’s work, but while reading between the lines I noticed how much I have grown as a writer and how much I value Sara’s insight. I worked hard to make a smooth sounding essay and I’m proud of it. I’m also pleased that I accepted Sara’s help.
Is having parents who are talented writers always fun? No. Will I want to accept Sara’s help in the future? Probably not. Odds I still accept her help grudgingly? High. At about this point, young Lilly R. would be frustrated she gave in to Sara’s help because she was always very independent. But she would be proud of her work and progress.
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