My daughter had a free writing assignment tonight for her 5th grade class and she is so shut off from coming to any readings in the future and I may have to take my Anne Sexton tapes out of the car. Her story is called the “Maria Diaries” and has dead birds, father abandonment, an unwanted pregnancy and three children who are basically in charge of themselves.

Actually it is a wonderful fiction outline and I may have to steal it someday but if this doesn’t get me a call from the school social worker, I have no idea what will. I wonder if the explanation I let my children read whatever they want, will actually hold water.