What do you remember about your childhood? While there are bound to be the big-ticket memories—like a holiday in Disneyland or a cross-Canada road trip—it’s often the little things that stand out.
“Sometimes the activity is quite distinctive, such as building a tree house together,” writes Krystine I. Batcho, professor and author of Longing for Nostalgia. “Often, though, it is as commonplace as playing catch, getting ice cream or going to lunch after a music lesson or sports practice.”
The most memorable experiences are more about the relationship we have with our kids, she says.
“In a world of competing obligations, it can be easy to forget the need a child has to feel special,” says Batcho. “What activity fills the time together is less important than the fact that the time spent was spent together.”
We remember the difficult times as well as the happy ones.
“Even during the most difficult of circumstances, parents have the opportunity to give their child the most important gifts—the assurance they are loved, the wisdom to appreciate what is most valuable, a model for coping with adversity with dignity and understanding that suffering can be meaningful when endured as part of living for loved ones.”
The “ordinary” can overshadow the extravagant in memorability and lasting value, she adds. A walk in the rain. Singing together in the car. Playing in the autumn leaves. Each of these things can create lifelong memories. And later on, it will be the small things that evoke these memories. A photo. A song. A scent.
As the holiday season approaches, here’s to celebrating the little things, spending time together and making sure each child feels special.
From Our Family to Yours.
