Posted on 10/27/2020
As important as making those memories with your kids are, recording and remembering them together may enhance their powerful message (see Part 1). There are many ways of doing this, again maximizing the power of the senses as well as focused attention. Add in some well-known educational principles like repetition and the power of story, and you'll have a pretty powerful combination that leads toward long-term bonding with your child.
Hearing and Telling Stories, Together
Can you still hear the voice of a parent or grandparent starting a story from your childhood with "Remember when"? Chances are, you loved hearing tales of your early years - and still do! Even though you experienced the event together, your child will no doubt enjoy telling you about it from his or her perspective - and hearing or reading about yours. You might even be surprised at what stood out to your child as a favorite aspect or part of your adventure, giving you an important glimpse into his or her developing personality. The more your child wants to rehearse the memory, the more significant it is, and the more indelibly the memory will become imprinted on his or her heart and mind.
Triggering Memories, Imperfectly
Whether you record your experience in a journal, record an audio, take a video, collect a related keepsake for a shadow box display, or put photos in an album, the important part isn't how professionally it's done but simply that something is done to commemorate the event or experience. Seriously: don't stress about how you do it! The key is to involve multiple senses and provide triggers for those special memories.
Perhaps your child is old enough to help assemble an old school scrapbook or shelf of memories - or even a video collage; in that case, preserving family memorabilia can provide an added bonding experience. After a significant event or trip, you may even want to block out a day simply to arrange photos and other reminders of your time together.
Slowing Down, Intentionally
If you're thinking that all of this telling stories and collecting memorabilia will take time, you're right. If you're used to living life at a break-neck pace that packs in as many experiences and events as possible, leaving no time to reflect on or remember one thing before the next begins, you're really losing out. Truly, less is often more. Trust us: you don't want to get to the end of this beautiful yet all-too-brief season of childhood and realize that you never stopped to really delight in it and be present in the moment. After all, that's how memories are really made.
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