Jake at Time after Time has a Sunday Post Challenge and every week he provides a theme…this week’s theme is LANDSCAPES.
In addition, Marylin Warner over at Things I Want to Tell My Mother is having a February Poetry Contest
The Rules:
“Be a rebel with a writing cause; break away from the expected February verses and write a poem about a date or an activity or adventure that WASN’T what you (or your mother) wanted to do…and how it ended.
You choose: rhymed, free verse, a sonnet or a series of Haikus or even non-bawdy limericks, etc. Just keep your poem to a maximum of 50 words (not counting the words of the title–and please have a title). JOIN THE FUN!”
I began to wonder how I could combine these two seemingly unrelated ideas into one post.
And then I had an idea!
According to the dictionary, a landscape is a picture representing a view or expanse of scenery that can be seen in a single view.
My poem, Fears of the Inner Child, is really a landscape of my life. I hope you enjoy reading it.
FEARS OF THE INNER CHILD
Childhood often invades adult life.
Fears laid down early create later strife.
Afraid of adventure and trying new things,
Mom constantly cautioned: Be careful! Life stings!
To conquer that panic is my fervent wish.
I’ve parasailed, skydived and swum with the fish.
If you have the time and want to see the sky-dive I did with my son in the summer of 2010, you can go here.
It was an amazing adventure…and a wonderful bonding experience to have with an adult son. With my book, Show Me How! and my school programs and workshops, I encourage parents to spend time with their young children…reading, crafting and cooking or doing anything positive. “Raising the Next Steve Jobs”, the cover story in the February issue of Parenting Magazine, offered parents some simple advice: read with your children, talk with your children, participate with your children. I was quoted in that article…and my book was mentioned. You know that if want to be in your children’s memories tomorrow, you need to be in their lives today. The fantastic skydive I did with my son only strengthened the connection we forged over thirty years ago when he was a little boy…believe me, those early years are so very important!
If you’d like more information about Jake’s Sunday Post:
http://jakesprinters.wordpress.com/ 
And here are a few of the posts from other participants in Jake’s Sunday Post:
http://imagesoftheheart.wordpress.com/2012/02/25/sunday-post-landscape/
http://reflectionsinapuddle.wordpress.com/2012/02/25/sunday-post-landscape/
http://truthaboveallreligions.wordpress.com/2012/02/25/sunday-post-landscape/
http://orples.wordpress.com/2012/02/26/sunday-photo-challenge-landscapes/
http://thismansjourney.net/2012/03/04/sunday-post-landscape/#comments
VIVIAN KIRKFIELD - Writer for Children 
wow, a super entry in Landscape! and i am sure in the poetry blog … love your poem, the first part too true for all of us, breaking away from that early conditioning is a lifelong job! thanks for the pingback too 🙂
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Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting! So glad you liked the photo and poem…you are so right about the early conditioning being widespread and, all to often, negative. Even the most loving of parents can inadvertantly say and do things that have a negative impact on the rest of a person’s life. But, we always have choices we can make. 🙂
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Great Entry Vivian thanks for posting 🙂
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Glad you liked it, Jake. Your Sunday Post with changing themes every week is the perfect incentive for me. And fun, because I always try to tie it in with positive parenting, uplifting kids and strengthening the parent-child connection. 🙂
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The video can’t be viewed in the uk so I’ll just have to imagine how awesome it must have been!
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Hi Gilly Gee,
So happy you stopped by to comment…sorry the video can’t be viewed in the UK. I wonder if you would be able to if I uploaded the disc I have and gave the link to that. I’m not as tech-savvy as I would like to be…still learning. 🙂
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This is wonderful, Vivian!
I’ve posted your poem on my site for the contest. I didn’t post the picture, but the poem is a whole new experience!
Marylin
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Thank you so much, Marylin! I so appreciate the opportunity you provided with the February Poetry Contest…these were feelings I’ve had…well…for obviously a VERY long time…perhaps teachers/couselors/parents could use poetry writing to help kids express their feelings. 🙂
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Delightful entry about the landscape of your life.
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Happy you enjoyed it, Nancy! I had fun writing it…and felt really good afterwards…kind of cathartic, I guess. 🙂
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great entry – a life landscape. thank you for sharing your poem.
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Thank you, Susan, for coming to visit and for your kind words. 🙂
Your entry was beautiful…both your dog and your poetry!
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Oh wow! I have been wanting to do skydive! I wasn’t able to when I was in Chicago but I am not losing hope 🙂 Your son looks so much like you… I so love the photo.
I do like the poem too. I am a frustrated poet back in my younger years 🙂 I’ve kept a notebook with my scribbles but sadly, I lost it when I moved here in Spain. Maybe some time I can go back and try poetry again!
Spanish Pinay
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It was an awesome experience…what a joy to share something like that with an adult child! Glad you liked the photo…he’s a pretty special man. 🙂
And please, please, please start scribbling again…you write so beautifully about your little daughter…don’t worry about the pages you lost…start making new pages. 🙂
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Vivian, what an adventuresome spirit you have. I applaud your skydiving — I’m not so brave. Love the photo of the two of you. Tried to watch the video but couldn’t. Great job of combining both themes and I really liked the poem. I have a completely knew view of you! Love it!
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Pat…these days even I have a completely new view of me. 😉
As a child and young adult, I was always quite timid and intimidated (except when it came to working with young children). My husband is much more adventuresome and since I wanted to be with him, I was willing (but not always happy about it) to take part in things like underwater walks, parasailing, banana-boat riding, etc. Of course, after each experience, I was thrilled I had done it. But recently (since Show Me How was published), I’ve realized I can do so many things I had never thought I could…so I take a deep breath…and just do it. 🙂
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Wow! Sky diving would be a great adventure to share with the children! Thanks for the tip! 🙂
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So glad you stopped by! Thanks for linking my page to your Sunday post. I LOVED your vintage travel poster…my husband and I went cross country several times before our children were born…we were teachers and had the summers off and just got in our car and drove…gas was 33 cents a gallon in the late 60’s, so it was pretty inexpensive to travel that way. It’s ironic because the only state we never went to was Colorado…and that’s where we have lived for the past 15 years. 🙂 Yee-haa!
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Hi, Vivian,
I need you to email me ASAP — warnerwrit@aol.com
Thanks,
Marylin
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I remain impressed every time I read about your memorable skydiving experience… And that picture above is terrific. You both look thrilled! 🙂
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I’m so glad i did it, Eliz. Although I might not skydive again (pretty expensive for such a time-short adventure), I look forward to new and exciting adventures on the horizon. 🙂 Peter and I had an awesome time together!
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You are braver than I! A lot of things I will do with my children, but skydiving is not one of them. I admire you though, and I love your poem.
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Hi Karen,
Thanks so much for stopping by and for your lovely comments. I don’t know that I am so brave…but I do know that life is short and it’s important to do the things you feel you should do…and spend time with the ones you love. 🙂
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That was a nice adventure you had with your son. Very nice indeed.
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Thank you, Angie! It definitely was a lovely adventure…don’t know if I would do it again…but I enjoyed every minute!
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You are braver than I am! I am so scared of heights! This did look fun though, I must admit.
Stopping by from the 100 Comments event.
http://www.AsToldByLisa.com
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Hi Lisa,
Thanks so much for stopping by..I worked today and work tomorrow…so I will be visiting your blog later this weekend. The skydive was a lot of fun…the best part was the 8 minutes of gliding down to the ground…awesome weightless feeling…silence…peaceful…with the countryside below looking like a patchwork quilt. 🙂
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Good for you on being so brave and going skydiving. I have fear of heights and I’d never, ever do that! I don’t think my ears could resist the pressure anyway as I have constant fluid in there from allergies bothering me (I have to pop my ears several times a day, without any change in altitude!).
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Hi Malika,
Sorry about your ears…skydiving would probably not be the best activity for you. 🙂
I didn’t think of myself as brave…just kind of going along for the ride. 🙂 It was really a lot of fun…more so because I did it with my son!
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I’d be telling my son not to do it! 😉
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It is scary when our kids (no matter what their age) do things that we feel is dangerous or not a good idea…after all, we will always be their mother, even when they are adults. 🙂 One of the hardest skills to learn is to allow our kids to take risks…like joining a team even though they may not be great at that sport but have a desire to participate. Of course, sometimes parents do have to step in with advice or with a veto…after all, we are the parents, right? 🙂
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You are a brave lady to go sky-diving with your son! I’d be too chicken! Heights just are not my favorite. I have gone on a gondola in the Rocky Mountains, I have climbed the Statue of Liberty, but jumping out of a plane??? Not my thing. 😉
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