THE LAST WORD
Blog It Out
How blogging improved my child’s writing
BY KATHRYN STREETER
M y then-9-year-old son was a great student — in
presentations, he was fluent and eloquent when
debating an issue. But his ease vanished when he had to
write a short response to the material.

As I racked my brain, searching for a method to help grow
his capacity to write, my eyes wandered over my shoulder
into my husband’s home office where he sat, typing
furiously. There, an idea came to mind: blogging!
As editor of an online publication, my husband blogged, so
it was a familiar concept around our home. So on a whim,
when I suggested to my son that he should try blogging, too,
his eyes lit up.

As I suspected, blogging, even longhand on paper, conveyed
fun, while writing a short essay did not. Perhaps your
child will feel the same way. To get started, here are some
guidelines to give to your little blogger:
1. Choose a topic, something you absolutely love. The NFL,
politics, cars and sneakers were my son’s topics of choice.

Since I gave him control over the subject, he owned his work
in a new way. He felt energized and motivated. It was still
an assignment, but it felt less like “school” for him.

2. Mentally lay out your argument. What is it? Narrow your
angle. Is it clear, rational? Psst, it’s not enough for your child
to write about their love affair with fast cars. They’ll need
to dive into why Lamborghinis are superior to Ferraris, for
example. You want them to be invested in their opinion.

They need to feel skin in the game.

3. Defend your argument. In the “body” of this blog post
(flanked by a mini-introduction and conclusion), your child
should state their case, using three main points to defend
their view.

4. Focus on building a cohesive argument. Don’t worry
about getting spelling, grammar and punctuation perfect. I
told my son, “I’ll only pay attention to your argument and
48 September 2018 washingtonFAMILY.com
how effectively
you state your case. I
Illustration by:
Talia Greenberg
don’t care about spelling,
grammar or punctuation in
these blog posts.” With this reassurance, my son’s shoulders
relaxed. I could sense him exhaling the tension. Friction
between us over writing assignments abruptly came to a
halt. I could breathe more easily, too. This exercise, after all,
is about ideas, not mechanics.

How Writing Comes to Life Over Real Issues
My son’s weekly assignment quickly became a hit because it
released him to write freely without fear of messing up. As I
did, you may also benefit from some surprising revelations,
giving you a deeper window into your child. In my case, I
recognized how my son’s quick and unwavering resolve on
a host of subjects revealed raw leadership material. Unlike
me, my son was endowed with decisive intuition. He didn’t
waffle as he played judge over disparate controversies. He
didn’t see both sides; with certitude, he declared a winner.

Reflections on How Writing Energized My Son
When I look through this old file of my son’s blog posts
handwritten in his laborious cursive, I’m struck by how
these exercises helped teach him the art of developing
an argument, whether for a paper or a speech. Equally
significant, he wrestled through issues he may not have
confronted at all were it not for these blogging assignments.

If you’ve successfully sold this writing hack to your child as
a fun activity, you’ll also appreciate its liberating versatility.

As a parent, you can assign blog posts judiciously, on
evenings when homework is light, over the weekend or even
on family vacations since it only requires a pencil and paper.

Blogging proved an effective writing hack back when I was
groping for answers for my child. Turns out, it exceeded my
expectations as I hope it will yours.

Kathryn Streeter is a D.C.-based mom and blogger.




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