Do you/did you keep a journal?

So, all my life, from the time I was in fifth grade, until the moment I met my husband, I kept journals. I'm talking every detail of my life written into a notebook. I have probably 100 of them in a box, and I'm not exaggerating. That being said....those journals hold my deepest, darkest secrets. Not that I had terrible secrets, but for instance, I believe one of them houses a list of every boy I ever kissed up until I met my husband And it's pages long. Front and back. It also has details of most of my young, lustful relationships with guys. I don't want to get rid of them because they literally are my past, and I don't have a great memory, so having all of those are basically my childhood and teenage years' memories. However, I would die if anyone ever read them. I'd hate for my husband to look through them and read all the embarrassing details of my adolescence, but really, the scariest thing to me is Ava or my future children getting a hold on them. Growing up, I was a huge snoop and read all of my mom's old journals. But lucky for her and for me, they were lame Mine are juicy
So, what has everyone else done? Should I toss em? Keep em? Lock them up?

Re: Do you/did you keep a journal?

I never kept one for the very reason of your fears. I kept my darkest secret "in my head". I thought many times to express my feelings in writing but in the end, I could not bare to be so "exposed" if someone were to find my journal. I am too "secretive" and protective of myself.

I guess I would leave them for your DD when she is older and to be read only by her.

Re: Do you/did you keep a journal?

I have kept many journals! This reminds me of the one I left behind at my parent's house in a box and I never saw it again. I just hope that particlar one just got thrown out and not read by my Mom!

Message edited 5/5/2009 9:33:39 PM.

Re: Do you/did you keep a journal?

Don't throw them away!! I wish I had kept journals! Like you, I have a pretty bad memory, and have very little recollection of things that happened to me as a teenager. Just be careful where you keep them.

Re: Do you/did you keep a journal?

Definitely keep them!!!!

I had a ton of old journals and stuff (memory boxes full of "things" from when I was growing up). My parent's house burned down to the ground in 2002 and I lost everything. I would give ANYTHING to have those things back.

Keep your journals and cherish them!

Message edited 5/5/2009 10:26:52 PM.

Re: Do you/did you keep a journal?

Keep them! You may worry about one of your children reading them now, but when they no longer have you, it could be something they cherish.

I had one on my computer that I started after DH and I got married. I was going through a really tough time due to back problems and it was taking its toll on us, so I started a journal to try to get out some of my feelings. I then put everything about the time my grandmother was dying and every dream I had of her, etc. I didn't back it up and lost just about everything in it when my computer crashed. I was devastated to lose everything about my grandmother. I want to start it again and try to go back and rewrite some of that stuff.

I wish I had kept journals through mine and DHs 11 year relationship (my adolescence). It would be interesting to read some of it. I do have a "life book" with some of it in there.

Message edited 5/5/2009 10:51:13 PM.

Re: Do you/did you keep a journal?

Tossed all but a few REAL juicy ones. When I'm 90 yrs old I want to read them to remind me of yesteryear.

Kept the journal of before, during and after my heart surgery. My dream is that lifetime turns it into a movie one day. kidding.

Maybe a book deal??? who knows? It was like therapy for me at the time.

Re: Do you/did you keep a journal?

Posted by lehcar

So, all my life, from the time I was in fifth grade, until the moment I met my husband, I kept journals. I'm talking every detail of my life written into a notebook. I have probably 100 of them in a box, and I'm not exaggerating. That being said....those journals hold my deepest, darkest secrets. Not that I had terrible secrets, but for instance, I believe one of them houses a list of every boy I ever kissed up until I met my husband And it's pages long. Front and back. It also has details of most of my young, lustful relationships with guys. I don't want to get rid of them because they literally are my past, and I don't have a great memory, so having all of those are basically my childhood and teenage years' memories. However, I would die if anyone ever read them. I'd hate for my husband to look through them and read all the embarrassing details of my adolescence, but really, the scariest thing to me is Ava or my future children getting a hold on them. Growing up, I was a huge snoop and read all of my mom's old journals. But lucky for her and for me, they were lame Mine are juicy
So, what has everyone else done? Should I toss em? Keep em? Lock them up?

Re: Do you/did you keep a journal?

Not really. Well, never really about me or my life...

Just about my HM and Kenneth.

The only time in my life I kept journals was one of my Honeymoon and the one I keep tracking Kenneth's recovery - With the Honeymoon, I wanted to remember what a wonderful trip it was because it was truly the trip of a lifetime. I still have that -- it is a whole mini notebook full too!

As for Kenneth, it started out as a way to update everyone here and now, it is such a valuable thing for me and my family to look back at... it is so easy to forget how far we have come. I like to read it to Kenneth (he listens SO intently when I read it) -- and one day, he'll be able to read the whole thing and go 'wow, I did that, didn't I?" People tell me all the time I should make it into a book but IDK.

Message edited 5/6/2009 12:13:44 AM.

Re: Do you/did you keep a journal?

I would never keep anything like this, if you are saying there is stuff in there you wouldn't want someone to read! I never was a journal writer, but hope to write one to my future children one day as I am carrying them and as they are growing up!

Re: Do you/did you keep a journal?

I kept one journal when I was in Highschool. I stopped writing in it a little while after I met DH (the end of HS)

I kept it for awhile, but then got rid of it before I moved out of my parents. I read it one last time and there was really nothing in there that I wouldn't remember on my own.

Re: Do you/did you keep a journal?

Oh lord, Rachel...I'm in almost the exact situation!! *I* don't even want to read them because I'm so embarassed!! I've thought about this so many times...keep them or toss them. Right now, they're in a box in my garage where we put them when we moved in--almost 4 years ago. Sometimes I think what's the point of keeping them if I don't want ANYONE to read them. Then I think "Maybe if I rip out a few pages..."

I did bring them into school once at the very end of the year. I read some semi-embarassing (but not incriminating ) entries to my junior class from the spring when I was a junior--they were ROLLING!!

Oh yeah, and I wrote in them well into my relationship with DH...and we didn't start dating until I was 26 so...

Message edited 5/6/2009 9:22:02 AM.

Re: Do you/did you keep a journal?

When I was younger I kept journals and stuff. I destoyed them all Honestly it just isnt worth DH or furture children seeing it. Not that I did anything SO bad....BUT I dont know...thosethings have a wa yof becoming public.

JMO I like you dont have the best memory...but I like to think I remember all the IMPORTANT things

Re: Do you/did you keep a journal?

I had journals and when I met DH I destroyed them all.. They had too much information that was private to me.. The only bad thing is, I don't have a good memory either so part of me died when I got rid of them..

Re: Do you/did you keep a journal?

I write travel journals. For every trip, big or small, I detail just about everything we do. I also write an update on my life and about important milestones/events in my life at and around that time. I am primarily writing this not only for myself when I am old, but for my children to see how their mother felt after HS graduation, First job, marriage, ect...I want them to have a piece of me and see how I wasn't perfect and know my personality.

Re: Do you/did you keep a journal?

I would lock them up so no one anytime soon reads them, but don't be embarrassed. you're great great great great great grandchildren are going to love those journals and don't you kinda love that many generations away might still have them? what i do recommend though, is for you to continue writing, about your marriage, your children and your hopes for them. show your now mature- non- wild- non embarrassing self in all future journal entries, even write about how embarrassed you are by some of your past entries to make up for it. i am sure everything you went through growing up is fairly normal! i too kept a journal since 5th grade, i have lots and lots of lists and hearts and boy names throughout those teenage years... i am only now less embarrassed by more recent entries. i do not write as often anymore though, every few months.