During the week we go with the autopilot and on the weekend we program something special (which often translates into very expensive) to do with the children. It's normal, we live stressed and feel guilty for not spending enough time with our children. However, if you look back and start thinking about the most beautiful memories of your childhood surely much simpler things come to mind, such as, in my case, the plays that the brothers prepared to represent our parents or board games on rainy afternoons. Without making much effort, we can create in our day to day Small routines that our children hopefully remember when they are older.
Since they are babies, kids enjoy these little routines that make them feel safe and give them peace of mind because they allow them to anticipate what will happen. Even when they are older, they continue to enjoy the repetition, so they ask us to tell them the same story a hundred times and they scold us if we are wrong. Activities that are always repeated in the same way help us to feel part of a group and to be more united.
Surely in your family you have a lot of things that you always do in the same way and make you happy. It is about standing a little to reflect on how we can create significant moments in our day to day. Here are a few ideas you can adopt in your family:
Movie night + any "nursery"
We can choose between popcorn, hamburgers or pizza or fight in case the movie is "grown-up" or "children's", but what is immovable is that the night chosen is reserved for the family. A different way to get in front of the TV. Instead of sitting "let's see what they put", we chose the movie together, we prepared the food and ... magic! The moment becomes special. At Lola's house, Fridays are hamburger and movie night: "If a friend ever invites my daughters to sleep at their home on impossible Fridays, they don't miss it for anything."
See how much we have grown
Oscar de Lara: “Every month we put some marquitas on the wall with the size and the name to see how much the children have grown (and we, because they insist that we measure ourselves too and give us courage to see that we have not grown anything). The funny thing is that we have changed houses quite a few times in recent years and the marquitas have been staying around, but for us the important thing is not what they measure (for that there is already the pediatrician's record), but to comply with our ritual , congratulate them on how big they are doing and all the new things they are going to be able to do because they are getting very old. ”
The night of stories
At Elena's house, Wednesday is story night: “The TV has to be turned off and we like to create ambient, for example by playing music or turning off the lights and gathering around a camping lamp we have. Depending on how inspired we are, we make up stories or read books. What my daughter likes best is that we tell her the story of a girl who is called the same as her or who is the same age, and if there is a crocodile or a dinosaur in between, the better. We also like to go to the library and get some books that we reserve for story night. ”
Sunday morning in the big bed
Diana, a large family mom, tells me how she likes her bed to fill up with people on Sunday mornings: “I have a little girl of three years who, we do not know at what time of the night she sneaks into our bed, another of five who comes to wake us up when the first ray of sun comes out and that of seven years, which even if it is“ very old ”He likes the mess and also points. Total, that on Sunday mornings that seems like the cabin of the Marx brothers. But I really enjoy the days that we have no plan and we can take a while like that without doing anything, talking about nonsense, laughing, tickling and kissing. "
Create memories for the future
Today we take more photos than ever of our children, but we practically do not see them. They are on mobile phones, hard drives or social networks, but not on our walls, refrigerators or shelves. María Salgado shares with us a beautiful custom that she has with her children: “My children are seven and eight years old. From time to time we do 'review' of photos. We look at the most recent and have a fun time laughing with the faces we have in some or remembering the last trips. Then, we choose together the ones we like the most, we print them and put them in frames, in a cork they have in their room, in the fridge ... Sometimes we also make thematic albums or edit videos, which they like a lot, and others ask me I showed them pictures of when they were little. ”
A diary of his life
Why put aside such a beautiful habit of keeping a pregnancy / baby diary when you get older? The photo of the pregnancy test, a lock of her hair ... when they are babies (especially the first one) We want to document each step, but we can also continue with your first day at school, his works of art, his friends ... When he is a little older he will love to participate with his own contributions and, if he can sow in them the seed of writing a newspaper, better than better.
As you can see, there are a thousand and one things that can be done to convert routine moments into Little traditions that our children remember forever. Which are yours?
In Babies and more Memories Kit: a great idea to keep and give your children their baby clothes when they are older, "I tell you your story", a virtual newspaper that will help us keep details of our children's childhood
