Focus on Fathers
Journaling With and For Children
Howard S.
GA USA
From: NEW BEGINNINGS, Vol. 18 No. 3, May-June 2001, p. 111
How can we capture precious
memories of our children's young lives? There is the inevitable baby
book that records the facts and figures as our children grow. We also
have photo albums that show just how precocious our baby really is and
hours of videotape witnessing our toddlers take their first tentative
steps.
Let me suggest one more way
to help record the fleeting moments of childhood. Consider keeping a
journal. This can be a truly special way for fathers to connect with
their children. Buy an attractive bound blank book. A good one costs
less than $10. Then, on a regular basis, take a few minutes to write
a paragraph or a page from your child's perspective. Nothing fancy -
just give your child his or her voice by using first person singular
to record as much detail as possible about your child's latest wonderful
(or trying) stage. The key is to write from the child's point of view.
Although it takes some getting
used to, consider the fun of putting yourself in your child's place.
Seek simple words to express the comfort your nursing baby feels as
he or she looks up at his mother. Try to say what your child might be
thinking as he or she roughhouses with you or a sibling. You may want
to record what each sibling means to the other as they grow up together.
The material you have to work with is endless.
Finding the time for this
is, of course, a challenge. Often, I bring my children's journals (each
one has their own) when we are on a family outing. During a rare quiet
moment, I make an entry - first noting the time and place. In a page
or two I try to describe, in the child's own voice, their latest milestone
or challenging experience. As your child gets older, you can chronicle
the stories they tell. An older child may want to draw or write in the
journal (limit scribbling to the backs of pages or the end of the book).
As with photographs, birth
order may determine how much attention each child gets in his or her
journal. My first born, now nine years old, has over three full journals.
My five-year-old is halfway through his second journal. My two-year-old
is three-quarters of the way through her first. My wife keeps telling
me it is not quantity, but the thought that counts.
While keeping a journal is
very much its own reward, the best part of the exercise may be giving
the journal to your grown child on a special occasion. One of the endearing
roles a parent can play in the child's life is to be a repository for
their early memories. For me, a journal is a way of capturing these
priceless moments.
Last updated November 13, 2006 by njb.
Page last edited Sun Oct 14 09:30:23 UTC 2007.
