As Mother's Day approaches, I've been reflecting on something that's become unexpectedly meaningful in my parenting journey.
Between the chaos of snack time, bedtime negotiations, and constant "Mom, watch this!" moments, I often find those deeper, important conversations with my kids getting lost. The timing never seems right to share the meaningful insights I hope will shape them.
A few months ago, I started journaling for my children. After putting them to bed one night, mind racing with things I wished I'd said, I grabbed a notebook and began writing. I wrote about resilience after watching my daughter struggle with a puzzle. About kindness when my son shared his snack. About all the things I hope they'll understand someday.
These journals have become a sanctuary for parenting thoughts that live between "too complex for a 4-year-old" and "too important to forget." Some entries preserve memories – funny mispronunciations or small moments of growth. Others are life lessons I want to pass down.
There's something freeing about writing to their future selves. I'm more honest and vulnerable. I share my own mistakes and what they've taught me. I express a depth of love that might otherwise go unspoken.
I don't know when I'll give these journals to my children – perhaps when they graduate or become parents themselves. But I find comfort knowing that someday, they'll understand what was in my heart during these fleeting, wonderful early years.
If you're feeling that familiar "am I teaching them enough?" anxiety, consider starting your own journal. It doesn't need to be elaborate – just a place to hold the wisdom that sometimes gets lost in the everyday chaos of raising little humans.