Please welcome Liwen of 2 Square 2 Be Hip as she shares her tips on how to capture those fleeting childhood memories. I love these ideas as I know all too well how quickly little ones grow!
I watched my kids as they sat on the bottom step of our staircase to put on their shoes. My four year old daughter slipped one foot into her pink and green sandal and looked up in frustration.
“My shoe is too tight,” she declared.
“Are you sure?” I asked in amazement. I bent down to give my little princess some help with her “glass slipper”. Sure enough, her foot had outgrown the shoes we had bought just a month earlier. I added the shoe store onto our list of places to go that day.
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I’ve been a mom for over six years and if there’s anything I’ve noticed about kids, it is that they are constantly growing. They are constantly getting taller, increasing their vocabulary and becoming more independent.
Even though there are days (and nights) when we may feel like our kids will never grow up, the truth is they are maturing faster than we realize.
So, what can we do to capture the fleeting moments of childhood? Here are three ways I have come up with.
1. Take Videos
Videos bring memories to life. After my son was born, I took tons of pictures, but my biggest regret was not taking more videos. While I enjoy looking at the photos, I miss seeing my son “in action” when he was a baby (I have since made up for it).
I treasure all the videos I have of my kids, even the ones of them doing mundane things like eating or sleeping.
One thing I like doing in particular is capturing video in a series. For example, I have videotaped our walks around the neighborhood for several years now; the early videos show my kids toddling along the sidewalk while the recent ones capture them cruising on their bicycles. It’s amazing to see how drastically they have changed over time although the scenery has stayed the same.
2. Take Notes
I enjoy reading about these moments as much as my kids love hearing about them. Plus, if you have more than one child, you won’t have to wonder which child did what because you’ll have it written down.
3. Take Notice
For me, it is a bittersweet experience to watch my son and daughter grow up (and out of their shoes). I love the innocence and wonder that comes with childhood, yet I know my job as a parent is to nurture their growth beyond it. But, in the meantime until my work is done, I will aim to enjoy every moment with my kids that I can, including our frequent trips to the shoe store.
Liwen Y. Ho is a full time wife and mom and a part time writer. She is the proud author of her first picture book, A Rainbow of Nine Colors, published by MeeGenius. She blogs about her adventures as a recovering perfectionist at 2 Square 2 Be Hip and as a mom of a high need child at Lessons from my High Need Child.
I made memory boxes of some of those first items in a shadow box. But I need to do more “paying attention” when I’m exhausted