Memories with Your Children

An excerpt from Chapter 9 “Loving the Fun” in Living Learning Loving

Having fun comes more easily for some than others. If you are a natural fun-loving mom, you could probably write this chapter. If you, however, need a few pointers, I hope you will apply these to achieve more fun and laughter in your home.

I have never been good with fun for fun’s sake. If fun can be incorporated into another activity I am all for it. I was raised in a no-nonsense home, so planning to have fun was just not done. I enjoyed time with my cousins and neighborhood friends, but usually my idea of fun was a little more industrious; I wanted to make doll clothes. Play, in my day, required imagination. So when I had three little ones of my own I organized groups for them such as The Traveling Tree house Troopers. We arranged for our preschoolers to have outings that were fun and enriching. They all had matching T-shirts and the moms cooperated in taking them to area spots of interest such as the fire station. Although it’s popular today, I didn’t play with my children; I thought that was what children did with each other.

One thing I did do was to schedule time with each child. When my children were young, I would place a note on the calendar for a “Special Day” for each child. On that date, I took that child alone for a day or most of a day, and we did things they enjoyed. Our day never involved shopping or going to buy a toy. We shared a variety of activities. One day I took my son to the sea wall on the Intracoastal Waterway in Port Arthur and we walked along and talked about why it was there. Other times we might go to a park. Whatever we did it always involved one-on-one conversation. My children are now in their late thirties and I can tell you even those few simple “Special Days” made a difference.

If you make the effort, even ordinary situations can become family fun memories.

Gail raised three children as a single mother before she remarried. She has experienced the potholes, pests, and perils of being the single head-of-household. As an educator in regular and special education for twenty years she knows a great deal about child development and how to handle kids. She is the founder of SMORE for Women, a nonprofit whose goal is Single Moms, Overjoyed, Rejuvenated, and Empowered. She is a Certified Professional Coach and her stories have been published in several Christian books and magazines. Her book, Living Learning Loving is available on CreateSpace, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble online.