Our first "4WW Writing" prompt for the second part of our 2024 writing, Young Adulthood, came out yesterday.
The prompt was, "How were you prepared by and shaped for young adulthood by your immediate family/environment."
We thought it would be helpful for you to see some examples of how you might work with this. As we move through the 4 seasons, we will share an excerpt of our story, rotating the style of writing, once at the beginning of each season. These are not our entire writings for that week, just an example to share what it might look like. All 4 of us are hoping to have a volume of writing at the end of this year that captures our story. Each prompt is different in how much we feel we can write from knowing vs guessing vs wishing vs would rather not even think about it. Wherever this takes you, we hope you are finding the opportunity to reflect, remember, and make plans for the future.
While the focus of this practice for us is writing, you may also choose to work through these prompts with a more visual-art type of product. Do what works for you. The only wrong way to do this practice is to not do it.
Example 1: Writing in a list - by Red Moon Warrior
Growing up as the eldest of six siblings, all born within 10 years of each other, and living in a small rural community impacted my young adulthood in these ways:
taught me to be responsible and independent
inspired a desire to break free and find myself by moving to the city when I was 16
convinced me that I wanted to be child free
demonstrated the inequity of gender roles and fostered a desire to work to change that
fostered resourcefulness and an appreciation of nature as a special place to escape to and enjoy.
Example 2: Prose - by Butterfly Heart
I think first, of the profound impact of my parents’ attitudes. Second, I ponder the implications of my place in family/sibling relationships- I am the first born of three and the only girl. Next, I am struck by memories and experiences still in play in my life today of my large, supportive extended family closeness. Finally, I remember my role in what was my ever- expanding world at the time: my place in my neighbourhood/school /community.
At home with my parents and two siblings - two younger, sometimes annoying, and definitely mischievous brothers - I enjoyed first-born ‘only girl’ status. I was the daughter who loved school, baking, crafts, dancing, reading, swimming, and skating - and who quietly watched as my brothers caused all kinds of drama and mayhem. In short, my parents (in jest) praised me endlessly for raising myself and chuckled and took in-stride my brothers’ antics. My Mom and Dad were amazingly evolved individuals who shared and demonstrated to we three kids, their loving and equal partnership, rare back then. As parents, they stressed each child’s individuality and were clear with others and each of us, that each of their children was equally loved, valued, and supported.
The underpinnings to my childhood were laughter, humour, hugs, family time (games, cottage getaways, weekly gatherings with extended family, lots of community and church fêtes, everyday family dinners) and a philosophy of harmonious relationships, community volunteering, and hard work, balanced with fun, conversation, storytelling, laughter, and leisure activities (for me that meant reading, crafts, movies, outings, and swimming while for my brothers it meant soccer, hockey, and more sports!). We were a family governed by fairness and equality and harmony.
It was idyllic in many ways. And it sounds sickeningly boring and overly optimistic and sanitized.
There were tears, death, loss, and tough lessons too. But what is clear and true in my recollection and in my retelling is that I entered young adulthood as a happy, thoughtful, secure, and quietly confident young teen, self-assured and clear of my place in the world. I chose then and still choose today to draw on the positive and optimistic and hopeful memories above all else. I felt strongly about equality for all and justice. I was altruistic and naïve. I clearly had no idea or experience to support my emerging opinions about the world and my place in it. I thought all differences could be overcome and good would always triumph. I wasn’t well equipped for conflict and dissension. I wasn’t good at arguing or debating differences. That learning would come later as often these gaps that need to be learned and filled do.
Example 3: Poetry - by Donkey Soul Sister
Out into the world I go, well, off to Guelph, anyway,
The door to the whole wide world
For me.
Thank you for teaching me
to rely on myself since the day you had more of us.
Thank you for my organized and reliable soul.
Thank you for my strong work ethic,
And my squeaky clean and honest way of looking
At everything.
Thank you for raising me in the country,
Where racism needn't ever be discussed
Until it would stab me in the heart
And course correct my life.
Thank you for teaching me the beauty of simple,
The importance of treasuring money and what I did with it,
The value of my choices.
Thank you for showing me love in its consistency, its reliability, its normalcy, its boredom.
I was ready.
Thank you for driving me to my open door.
Example 4: Once Upon a Time - by Star Woman
Once upon a time there was a family with nine children. My family. In this story you will see how, from humble beginnings, our loving and caring of family was forged, a family agreed by all of us siblings to be the precious thing that it is. And how this family environment shaped the ‘me’ that I have become.
As our family grew up together, the lives and lived experiences of the various siblings, from the older ones born in the 40’s to the younger ones born up to the middle-late 50’s, varied significantly. Of course, varying age differences alone does not an Exceptional Family of Siblings make. In our case, with a 17-year span in ages between the eldest and youngest, our birth-orders ranged from war-time to peace-time; improving career opportunities for our Dad who was the main provider for our family’s needs, including where we lived and educational/learning opportunities open to us.
Guyana was colonized by the Dutch, French, Spanish and the British over a period of more than 300 years. Our paternal grandparents were indentured from India so our Dad and his siblings were born under indentureship. Our Dad’s first job though, was working for the ‘white people’ in the colonial system. He worked his way up from Office-Boy to Office Manager. We were increasingly seen and treated as being wealthy and privileged; the latter was certainly true. Our family…
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