I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the things my kids will remember about growing up.
Not the big, expensive things.
Not the vacations that required months of planning.
The little things.
The ordinary things that happen so often that we don’t realize they’re becoming part of childhood.
I want my kids to have traditions.
Not because I want to create a picture-perfect childhood.
But because traditions give kids something to look forward to.
They make ordinary time feel special.
They create little pieces of home that they can carry with them when they grow up and have their own families.
Special Birthday Breakfasts
I love the idea of making birthdays feel special from the moment the day begins.
It doesn’t need to be complicated.
A favorite breakfast.
A special plate.
A candle.
A birthday song.
Just a little reminder that this day matters because they are here.
Holiday Movie Nights
There is something about watching the same movies every year that makes them feel like traditions.
The snacks might change.
The kids might grow.
But someday, I hope they’ll hear the opening music of one of those movies and immediately think of home.
Ice Cream Just Because
I want my kids to remember that not every special moment needed a reason.
Sometimes we went for ice cream because it was Tuesday.
Sometimes we stopped for a treat after a long day.
Sometimes we just needed a little sweetness.
Reading Together
I hope reading is one of the things my kids remember most.
The bedtime stories.
The favorite books we read over and over.
The times they asked for “just one more.”
I know there will come a day when they won’t need me to read to them anymore.
I’m trying not to rush that day.
Grandma Camp
I love the idea of traditions that connect kids to their extended family.
A special week.
A weekend.
A sleepover.
A visit filled with activities that become their own little memories.
It doesn’t have to be elaborate.
Kids don’t need a perfectly planned itinerary.
They need time together.
The Little Everyday Things
Honestly, some of my favorite traditions aren’t really traditions at all.
They’re just things we do regularly:
- Pancakes on a weekend morning
- Getting cozy for a movie
- Going on walks
- Celebrating small accomplishments
- Playing games
- Making cookies
- Talking in the car
These are the moments that make up childhood.
The Pressure to Make Memories
I think sometimes we put too much pressure on ourselves to create magical childhoods.
We plan the activity.
We take the picture.
We buy the supplies.
We try to make everything special.
But I have a feeling that kids don’t need us to manufacture magic.
They find it everywhere.
In a cardboard box.
In a blanket fort.
In staying up ten minutes past bedtime.
In getting ice cream on a random Tuesday.
My job is not to create a perfect childhood.
It’s to be there for the ordinary moments that eventually become the memories.
And I think that’s enough.
Big Kitty Corner 
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