Life as My 7-Year Old Sees It

My daughter saw me writing a post for this blog the other day and decided to write a post of her own. I figured it was an excellent way for her to practice reading, writing and spelling and to get some experience typing on a keyboard. Plus, it was an opportunity for her to get her ideas “on paper.” The best part, though, was sitting with her, helping her find letters on the keyboard and spell difficult words. The experience of helping a child create something they’re proud of is amazing – not to mention it’s really fun to take a peek into how she sees the world at this particular moment in time. So, without further ado, here’s her first post: 

“First grade was fun but I think I’m going to like second grad more because I’m gonna learn more times multiplication, probly I’m going to learn division ‘cause I don’t know what that is.  What is that? It’s going to take a long time for me to learn division.  I’ll take two more years probly or three more years. Here’s a secret I will never tell anyone my mom and dad know it but here’s what it is, I like wizard 101 that’s the secret so good day.  7/16/12”

Wizard 101, in case you haven’t heard of it, is an online game that she plays with her dad and a couple of cousins. Her next installment (written the following evening) expands on her professed like of Wizard 101. 

“On  wizard  1O1  my character  is named  Taylor Strongriver  and   she  is  level   67  and  she  is  balance  and  balance  means  sorcerer .Taylor  has a mount   that  is  a rhino  that  is  a  2  passenger   mount. With that    mount   people sometimes yell… RHINO! She also has a pet bird that gives spritely when it wants to. Sometimes she goes wild with it other times she doesn’t do anything with it and that is sad here’s what I mean by sad… :( … that’s what I mean by sad now let’s find a stopping place so that’s it for today so good day(bye)  :). 7/17/12”

In this game, players take on a character and select a name. It doesn’t allow real names so her character is Taylor Strongriver. She rides a rhinoceros and has a pet bird that can heal her during battles. The bird is unpredictable, though, and sometimes doesn’t do anything. She finds this very disappointing.

Her writing is pure 7-year old stream of consciousness. This is exactly how she talks to me. Her stories leap from one topic to the next without warning. She gets words mixed up and sometimes her sentences don’t make sense. I love to hear it, though. Her worldview is so carefree and completely in the present moment. Her enthusiasm for whatever she’s talking about is contagious and her eyes and mannerisms that go along with the stories only make them better. My guess is that this is how she sees the world – moving from one experience to the next, not the least bit concerned about context, grammar or how it sounds. She just takes it all in and shares what seems important to her.

It’s not a bad way to live your life, really.

By the way, she says she isn’t finished writing and wants her own blog. Look out world, her she comes!