Do you know how to make an impact?

Summer fun was educational, adventuresome, and involved hands-on learning activities for Liam age 8, Alex who turned five, and Charlie who turned four-years-old. We visited so many parks, playgrounds, pools, and splash pads.

This particular park, The Heights, was our favorite. It is next door to Richmond Heights Recreation Center/Library just before Highway 40 at Hanley. It has an outdoor naturescape: trails, plants, trees, sand, oodles of places to discover and hide in, and a delightful playground.

This is one of my all time favorite photos because it represents innocense and brotherly love, even though they do argue frequently. Liam is a peace keeper and wonderful big brother. 

In May, when Liam was told he would be spending three days a week with me and two with my daughter, he was not thrilled to have to be doing "little kid stuff", as he called it. 

He soon learned age has its privileges. He had access to the downstairs freezer: ice cream sandwiches and mini sodas in our lower level fridge. He went downstairs to play video games while his brothers napped. He spent a couple hours relaxing and munching in the preK class area... being left alone. 

I did not push academics, but did insist he write a composition or essay before returning to school for third grade. He was SO excited to be going back to school.

I told him how in my day the teachers always asked students to write a theme on what they did over summer vacation. 

He and his family went to Branson, but he said he had most fun with them at the Science Center. Mom and dad allowed him to ride a flight simulator. He laughed telling me how his parents worked to assemble huge, soft blocks to form a tall arch. He laughed when it toppled on him and his brothers.

I mentioned how important a hook sentence is. He wanted to write: This summer I went to the Science Center. 

I told him instead to write: This summer my parents knocked the arch over onto my brothers and me.

He became irate and told me I did not know what I was talking about. He reluctantly did as I instructed, but he crabbed, "If anyone asks me about this dumb sentence, I'm telling them YOU MADE ME DO IT!" 

I smiled and said, "Great!"

After he finished his composition, I read it to him using HIS opening sentence. And then again with MINE.

He looked up at me amazed and said, "Yeah, I see what you did there. I get it now. That is a better opener."

I hope he takes that simple writing lesson with him throughout his life.

I hope if you are a writer, you too will write a dynamic hook sentence and make your readers want to read more-more-more.

I'm going to leave you with one more thought: surprise is a great element. On our last day together I said, "Buddy, I'll bet when I see you for Christmas break, you will have grown up to my chin."

He darted over to stand face to face with me. The top of his head reached my chin! We laughed and laughed at that surprise. He has grown in so many ways.

I wonder if he would have accepted this as another impact opener? This summer I grew another foot.

Or: My great grandma can now eat a bowl of ice cream off my head.

Have fun writing.