[sanot]

When you journal, do you write in first person? third person?

I'm just starting to scrap and am starting with pages for my children/of my children....I feel like I should write it as if I'm talking to them (ie. today you said this, I love to see you do this, Your eyes sparkle when you start to...etc)

or should I write it in third person (ie. Benji was so excited about his win, Isaac is a nonstop talker...)

Does it depend on the page? Can it switch from one to the other in the same book? Journaling is a challenge for me anyway, maybe I'm making this harder than it is....what do YOU do? what are your thoughts?

[KayMitch]

Hi, I do a bit of both in the same album. I'm sure that isn't perfect but I scrap to please myself and my family. The important thing is to do some journalling no matter what method you use. Just go for it. Your children won't care either way. Kay

[Sara Arell]

I do a little of both depending on what I'm scrapping about.

The kids love it when I do their pages in 1st person, but since most of the pages I scrap are basically my memories of a particular photo and what they were doing then they are in 3rd person. I think it's fun to have both ways in an album.

[MariJ]

I find journaling a challenge too! My preference is to use the third person - I happen to like that best and it feels more personal to me to be using a name.
But, I can see where if scrapping a book to your children you might want to use "you".
Then again - like everyone else, I think it's fine to use both in a book.

[podiumchick]

I do what feels right for that page. I probably write more to my kids than about them. But depending on the tone of the journaling, I switch it up.

[Heatheranne]

Go with what feels best! I write journaling whatever way feels best to me. I've written letters to my parents, used quotes from the person that I'm scrapping about, talked to them - for them - and about them. I think a mix in one album is fine, afterall I don't use all one kit for an album. I can think of one reason that I might use one kit or perfectly matching kits and keep the journaling from the same perspective and that would be an album with a specific theme, for a one day, or specific timed event, such as a wedding (could include honeymoon and/or background photos), the birth of a child, an anniversary, the dog had pups, etc. But, for the most part, if the album is mixed with different events of a families growth, then evreything else is mixed too. I agree with Kay, as long as you're happy with it, that's all that matters. :-)

[princessrunningfingers]

After thinking about it, I guess I do mostly 3rd person. Journaling is not my strong suit, so I still struggle with it.

[Belle]

I also battle with journaling. April once told me to journal as though you are telling a friend what is happening in the photos. I find this the best way for me to journal. But with scrapping, anything goes.

[mimes1]

I do both - sometimes it's a like a letter to my kid in the layout, sometimes to a friend (or all of you guys! LOL!) I guess thinking about it first person isn't as frequent as the other styles but I do use it.

[SandiC.]

Both. I think it depends on the page. And switching up on different pages in an album is fine by me, as long as I get something in there.

[Smiles]

I fit the journaling to the page. Sometimes the journaling is our dog in the "first person."
There are no scrapbooking police - grammar or otherwise!

[MariJ]

Oh Belle -- what a perfect way to think of journaling.. Thanks for sharing... Me too, journaling is not my strong point and usually non-existant at best.

[lorac]

When I journal, which is not often, I do both 1st and 3rd person. I all depends on what the page is about. Go with what feels right to you. There are no wrongs or rights in scrapping.

[Sara Arell]

I went through alot of my scrapbooks this morning thinking that I had done a little bit of both, but I guess I really haven't - the kids would love it if I did some more of their pages in 1st person.......I think this is a great thread - made me think a bit!

.........and Belle, I like the way you think too!