| If you live with other people, I know you shudder to | | | | decided in advance. All other times: Keep thy journal |
| think about what would happen if your personal journal | | | | confidential. |
| fell into the wrong hands. Journaling is not about writing | | | | There are a few ways to do this. I never buy books |
| something and then leaving it on your bed so your | | | | that have "My Diary," "My Journal" or "My So-Called |
| family can see how you really feel about them. You | | | | Life Since You Ruined It" imprinted on the cover. I think |
| may be tempted to do that at times, but don't. | | | | they're too tempting for snoopers. |
| It's just not cool for your mother to read your rant | | | | Once I bought a journal that looked like an |
| about how ugly you think her purple polka dot shirt is. | | | | encyclopedia on the outside. No one in my family paid |
| You wrote that you scrunched down in your | | | | any attention to it as it sat on my bookshelf, and I used |
| elementary school chair until your eyes were even | | | | it as a cathartic journal (a type of journal used to |
| with your desk, wishing to disappear when she walked | | | | express emotion). |
| into the room wearing that purple people eater. | | | | Another way to protect your journal from snoops is to |
| You can still hear little Jimmy Morgan snickering behind | | | | buy a book at a garage sale that wouldn't interest |
| you, saying the dots would make good bull's eyes for | | | | anyone in your family, (like, "How to Prepare your 1981 |
| his spit wads. And look, she's still wearing that thing like | | | | Federal Income Tax Return"). Pick out a book so dry |
| some kind of vintage-fashion-rage fifteen years later | | | | that the garage salers will whisper, "see, people will buy |
| and you want to barf. | | | | anything at a garage sale," as you walk away. Hollow |
| Of course, it doesn't really bother you to that extreme, | | | | out the cover and put your journal in it. |
| but you were thinking about it the day you wrote it in | | | | If that's not secure enough for you, hide it in the |
| your journal and it felt good to exaggerate. Writing | | | | unsweetened, generic cereal box at the back of the |
| even made you laugh about it. But the thought of mom | | | | pantry. If your family is like mine, they will skip breakfast |
| reading that entry makes your face flush and your | | | | if unsweetened, generic cereal is all you have left. |
| knees feel weak. | | | | Trust me, I've done this. I wrote about it for Chicken |
| I know one mom who read her daughter's journal all | | | | Soup for the Soul Bible. It works. |
| the time. The daughter always left it open on her bed, | | | | If you still have doubts about privacy in your household, |
| knowing her mother would make the bed and pick it | | | | keep your journal in a locked file drawer, desk drawer |
| up. After hearing about a few confrontational episodes | | | | or a small safe. |
| between this mom and daughter, I suggested that the | | | | It is very important that you feel your writing is just for |
| mom buy a journal that she and her daughter could | | | | you. Otherwise, you are not going to write about how |
| write in and exchange. This way, each person could | | | | you really feel. You can be insecure and fearful in the |
| "talk" without interruption and there would be no | | | | world, but the writing part of you, the part that you |
| invasion of privacy. | | | | share with your journal, cannot. Write about your fears |
| Passing a journal back and forth can be great fun if it's | | | | and how they affect you . . . and tell the truth. |