I USED TO BE SMART

Recently, a friend sent me an Arizona Republic article on menopause. I easily identified with Mary Pace, a 54 year old teacher who lamented, "There are some cloudy, foggy times when I think, 'Hmm, I used to be smart.'"

I earned two degrees, the Bachelor of Science (Summa Cum Laude) and the Master of Education (with distinction) from Northern Arizona University. Go Lumberjacks!

Since starting my blog a few weeks ago, I'm even more aware of how my brain doesn't work as well as it used to. The most disconcerting thing about writing at this time in my life is that I can't organize my thoughts very easily. But equally scary is my inability to remember words that were once part of my vocabulary. The days of having words flow easily and effortlessly from my mind to my lips or fingers are gone forever.

So I found it amusing when my daughter Kelley complained last week that my blog was written on the level of a "school research paper." While she admitted looking forward to each post, she whined, "I have to concentrate SO hard when I read your stories." I was still trying to think of how to respond (I was having one of those cloudy, foggy times) when she suddenly said, "Sorry, but I need to get off the phone NOW. I have to watch Access Hollywood!"

When Kelley hung up, I tried to do a reality check. Am I really stretching my readers' fragile attention spans to the breaking point? Should I dumb-down my writing? After all, not only am I writing my life story for my children, but for my children's children. As an educator, I'm painfully aware of the dismal trend towards a steady decline in reading and reading ability. Will my grandchildren, raised on a literacy diet of e-mails, text messages, and compacted language like LOL (laugh out loud) be unable to comprehend my lofty, verbose narratives?

After giving this some thought, I've decided that the best indicator of my grandchildren's ability to appreciate my written legacy is to use the example of my own daughters. Perhaps by looking at their reading proclivities as children, I can get an idea of what literacy skills they will pass on to their own offspring. As we say in the world of teaching, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Cristin read early---before three years of age---and she read well. Her favorite book was The Golden Dictionary. She was so confident by the time she entered school that she proclaimed herself, "The World's Greatest Reader!"

Kaci preferred reading cookbooks and restaurant menus. With vocabulary like soup de jour, entree, pasta, saute, and French toast, she was considered bilingual at an early age.

Kelley showed no interest in reading before third grade. Until then, her book of choice was the Coloring Book. Her favorite genre was Barbie or Spice Girls.

They say the camera never lies, and this photo is proof. Although Caitlin was surrounded by books her entire childhood, I never actually saw her READ one.

SICNR this opportunity to practice IM. JIC I need to abbreviate my prose for posterity. YNK. I'll bet my kids are thinking: IOMH. LIC. This topic TBC...

copyright 2008 by Kathleen Stewart Goodrich