Will you be a mother who's remembered fondly by
your children when they're grown? Will you be a mother
who affects their lives in ways they'll recall with love
and laughter?
A family can be close and create fond memories
by sharing and doing things together. However, it's
often to the mother that the task falls of initiating
family activities and pleasures her children will
engage in with their children in future years.
Incidents From Your Childhood
Do you recall incidents and traditions from your
childhood you want to share with your children
and create a feeling of family continuity?
I realize now that Mother often must have had
work to do. But she took time from her busy
day as a farmwife for walks and picnics with
us four children, doughnut making feasts, story
sessions at bedtime, swimming in the brook in
summer, and listening to us and talking with us
when we had problems or secrets to share.
Looking back, I never remember her remarking,
"No, I'm too busy," although she must have said
it many times. The memorable times we shared
together far overshadowed the times she had to refuse.
Fun With Your Family
My daughter and I engaged in some of these activities
as I shared with her my childhood experiences. It helps
to bring a continuity to the generations as a child
realizes he/she's sharing in a long line of family traditions.
Just possibly the enjoyment of these childhood
activities and family highlights will be remembered by
their children when they have families of their own.
I've heard my daughter say to her son and daughter,
"When I was little, I used to do this...just like Nanny
and Great Grandma did."
As I look around the happy faces at my husband's
family reunions, I realize that it was mainly because
of my mother-in-law's efforts that the family now has
many memories to bind them together.
Families Need Sense of Belonging
Families need a sense of belonging, a sense of doing
things together that makes them part of a long line of
families. In these days, when the family unit is battered
on all sides, it's often the mother who can do so much
to make for her family a haven at home, a place of
happiness and security, a place which will stir fond
memories as the children recall the incidents that
formed their lives because of their memorable mother.
