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Kamloops News

MANN: Making memories by writing to my kids

Image Credit: SUBMITTED
May 24, 2018 - 12:00 PM

 


OPINION


The end of a long weekend always feels like a breakup out of a movie.

With two lovers parting ways from what has been an incredible adventure and Take my breath away playing in the background.

They agree to try to meet the next year, same time, same place, because they are so in love — both knowing full well it’s already over.

But they will always have THAT weekend.

There were no mysterious love affairs in my long weekend, but plenty of the outdoors, I Spy and Berenstain Bears books.

And as soon as it was over, I rushed home to write down the details in a diary — a diary for my children.

I got the idea when I realized how terrible I was at recording milestones and taking pictures.

Maybe with the first kid I was somewhat organized and on top of things, but when the second one came along, all bets were off.

So I came up with the idea of writing letters, and then it evolved into a diary.

I save on envelopes this way too.

I kept a diary as a kid. I would write about fun things I did during the day, who I was friends with, who I had a crush on (at that moment) and what I hoped to do tomorrow.

I would write about when I was feeling sad, and why, and what I was going to do about it.

It would make for a really boring book.

But sometimes it is fun to look back and see just what I was thinking and feeling.

So, on days when I have a few minutes (which is rare), I will sit down and write to my children.

I usually write about what we did that day, who we saw and what funny things they said or did — really trivial things, but meaningful to me, and hopefully to them eventually.

My daughter will get to read about how she thought she had been invited to Ariel’s castle when she saw the Parliament Buildings lit up at night, and my son will know how much attention his hair gets on a daily basis (it’s red).

I always tell them I love them, and I tell them I will keep telling them I love them every time, so they won’t forget.

I am not the most eloquent person when speaking, so writing allows me to more clearly express my thoughts and feelings.

I do get side tracked a lot in my entries. I’ll start in on an anecdote and veer off on a tangent about some lesson I want them to learn from my mistakes.

I am definitely not great at writing regularly. Some times months go by before I finally remember to pick up my pen and jot down something interesting or amusing.

Some times I start writing and suddenly I am too tired, hungry or uninspired, so I will opt for a list of ‘Dids’ or ‘Likes.’

But I think they will understand when I wasn’t feeling up to it.

I don’t know how long I will keep ‘the diary,’ or if I will decide to split it into individual books (because she won’t want to read about him and vice versa), but for now I’m having fun cataloguing their memories and writing to them from a place I won't get to visit again  — but I can always go back — they can always go back — through the diary.

— Becky Mann is a 30-something, red haired, mother of two, trying to navigate this life as best she can. She enjoys talking to people and discovering their stories. Still trying to balance her personal and professional life, she juggles work and play. In her spare time Becky can be found visiting with friends, spending time with her family and saving time by reading while walking. She knows there is so much more to come and is looking forward to the continued adventure.


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