I want them to remember…
I want to create the best childhood that I possibly can for my kids. I want them to look back on their childhood and to remember that they had a brilliant one. It’s hard to know which memories will stick with them and which they’ll forget. I try and bring up my kids with one question in mind.
Will they remember today?
Sometimes I feel guilty after telling them off, just because I worry that these are the memories that will stick with them. I want them to remember me and my partner as good parents, not ones that just sent them to their rooms when they were naughty. I want them to remember us as parents that loved them and always wanted the best for them. I want them to remember the family days out and our trips to the beach. I want them to remember our caravan holidays and walks along the seafront. I want them to remember the good times, and for them to feel happy whenever they think back to their pasts.
It’s hard to know exactly which days will stick with them forever. I guess it’s about trying to make sure that the good memories outweigh the bad. We have to fill their childhoods with as much fun and laughter as we can in order to counteract the arguments, telling-offs and clashing of personalities that are almost inevitable as a parent. It’s important to be there when they’re sad, to reassure them when they doubt, to discipline them fairly when they misbehave and to always tell them that we love them.
What is your earliest childhood memory? Is it a good one or a bad one?
Thankyou for reading! Please leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
It’s so true isn’t it? We really don’t want only the bad memories to be the ones that remain. For me the things that stuck from my childhood were probably the most basic of days. A picnic in the park, collecting shells on the beach, going ice asking as a family every Thursday night (maybe for 6 weeks but in my mind it was a family tradition…)
I think kids are happy just spending time with their parents and feeling loved. That also means being told off for being naughty. Of course you only realise this when you’re a parent yourself – saying no is the hardest thing but setting boundaries is another way of showing how much you care. I’m sure doing doing an amazing job!
My best memories are also the basic days, like playing on my bike, having walks along the seafront etc. I think you’re right, kids are happy just spending time with their parents and even if we’re telling them off, they’ll realise eventually that we had their best interests at heart!
Most of my childhood memories are bad ones due to me spending a lot of time in and out of hospitals, bullying etc. Nothing to do with my family life. I have hazy memories of lots of fun days out and great family holidays so I know my parents tried their best. However the sadness infiltrates everything. Now as a parent myself I am consciously aware that my kids may experience things outside of the house that i may not know about or have little control over. It makes me always alert to trying to provide a safe, warm and nurturing environment, but you can never really tell what’s going to make them happy. I have 3 and whatever cool stuff you do for them or holidays you make, one of them will always complain that it’s the worst thing ever. This summer i did loads of cool things with my kids and made myself loads of lifetime memories. When we were talking about what they’ve enjoyed at the end of the summer, they didn’t mention any of the big things that took a lot of time and effort from a parenting point of view, but they picked up on little things that hadn’t even registered in me.
Parenting, you do your best and hope they’re happy and well adjusted at the other end.
All we can do is our best. As a parent, it is difficult to control and know about everything that goes on when they are away from the house. My toddler will be starting school in a couple of years and it is really scary to think about how she will cope. I also have twin girls that are already in school and outside influences are always a worry! It’s the teenage years that I get told will be the hardest!