When I was a young boy, my mother was the sole provider for her nine children. To support her family, she was forced to go back to work full-time. Mom was a registered nurse who found employment at a local nursing home working the night shift. She spent many nights away from my siblings and me, and that meant I didn't have the chance to tell her about my day or how I was feeling about any given topic. During this time, I began to jot down notes to her and slip them under her pillow to read when she came home from work later that night. The following day, I would sometimes find a note under my pillow before I went to sleep. Hence Pillow Thoughts got its name, and the idea flourished into this journal today.

I began using Pillow Thoughts with my boys when they were in elementary school. The practice of writing and exchanging messages continues even into their adult lives. I feel it helps strengthen my bond with my sons as much as possible. It allows them to write freely concerning their exact feelings without the awkwardness of delving into uncomfortable, personal issues out loud. Over the years, my sons have written to me about growing up and puberty, relationships and girlfriends, and so many other experiences and challenges. These notes have forged a bond between us based on trust and confidentiality. Writing down our thoughts instead of voicing them has been in many ways an easier form of communication for my boys and me. I imagine other people who are striving to have a healthy, communicative relationship with their children may feel the same way. Writing can be a constructive way to focus our feelings. What is written in the journal is never shared with others, unless it is the wish of the person writing.

Pillow Thoughts has proven to be a productive and positive way to communicate with my sons, and I look forward to the day they pass on this tradition to their children.