Blast To The Past

When we leave our children a heritage, a lot of that comes from our own childhood; our memories, our experiences, our view of life. If we share that with our children it will not only help them understand who we are a little bit better, but it will give them roots to stand on. It will provide a background of where they came from, whom and why they are the way they are, and who their relatives were.

So, how can you do this? You can take your children to places of meaning for you. Take them to where you were born in the hospital, your childhood home, school, church, and hangouts. If you live in the same area still, your children may not realize that those buildings hold such special memories for you. Share with them and talk to them about how the area used to look and feel. If you don’t live in the same area where you grew up, make a vacation out of the experience. Take photographs (or if you are really unable to visit where you grew up – find someone to send you some photographs or newspaper clippings.)

You might find that your children enjoy learning and seeing what makes you tick. You will grow very nostalgic with the experience yourself and be glad you revisited your past.

Even if you didn’t have the happiest of childhoods, it is still important to recognize what influenced your life and share both the good and the bad with your children.

Our children will be stronger, more secure, and more bonded to us by learning from the past.

Don’t put it off.

Valentines Indoor Picnic

Are you looking for a fun Valentine’s Day tradition that you can do together with your whole family? I believe that Valentine’s Day is mainly to express and show your love for your significant other…but as a parent, I also feel strongly about showing some love to my children on this special day. I like to make the day a little bit special for them, as well!

One year I reflected on a Valentine’s Day growing up when my mom had had a special indoor picnic for us. It really stood out and so I decided to try this idea out on my own family. I laid out a blanket, put some special napkins out, fancy glasses, and prepared to have an indoor picnic for dinner.

It was a hit! My children loved it and continue to love to do this. It’s a fun way to eat dinner as a family, yet in a different way than you are used to. I can prepare something easy such as sandwiches with a pasta salad and bring out chocolate or special Valentine’s cookies for dessert. Add a few special embellishments like Valentines Day napkins, special glasses and maybe a few décor pieces – and you’ve created a warm yet casual dinner. Add a little soft music in the background and it makes for a special time together.

This has become a neat tradition for our family. My children are now adding to it with their own homemade cards or placemats professing their love for each member of our family. It’s these moments together, that I hold closely to my heart.

Dream Log

One of the best things you can do for yourself is to keep a “goals and dreams” log. In your dream log, you keep a list of what you’d like to see, accomplish, and how you’d like to grow as a person. These thoughts can be big things like, “I want to visit Mexico and scuba dive,” or smaller things like, “Get the hall closet cleaned out and organized.”

As you work towards these goals and dreams you will find your confidence and self-esteem grow as you realize how fulfilling your life is. It is a wonderful feeling to cross completed dreams off of your list!

You may find that as the years go by, your goals and dreams change as well and that’s okay! Changing goals or ambitions are simply another sign of growth in your life. Embrace the changes and fulfilled desires in your life and watch your frame of mind turn more positive as you feed it the realization of positive results in your life.

Encourage your children to keep their own dream logs as they grow up. Having goals, dreams, and aspirations is an important part of growing up and learning who they are, what they want, and how they feel about life. And it will be a great way for you to get "clued in" to what's going on inside your child's heart and head.