Good morning, dear reader!
So this is the last of my five parenting tips; hopefully you’re found the last few to be helpful. My final one: make milestones memorable!
(I’ve decided that the alliteration in the titles of these tips is fun! Can you tell?)
So. Milestones. I got this idea from a friend of mine, who celebrates each of each children’s “big” birthdays with a memory, not an event. So, this is what I’ve come up with:
When the child turns 10, they get to spend from early morning through to 5pm doing something special with a parent. Earlier this year, I took Miss10 to SeaWorld – it was her first time at a theme park and she absolutely loved it!
For 13, the ‘day’ will go from early morning through to 9pm. For 15, the ‘day’ will finish at midnight. For 18, we’ll spend a night in a ritzy hotel somewhere. And any activities done on the day are the child’s choice. No interruptions from work, school, or other children. Just total “Mummy and me” hanging out time. Or, when it’s Mr7’s turn, it might be special time with Daddy. I know my friend’s husband did a shooting trip with their son for one of his ‘big’ birthdays. They both loved it.
And that’s the way my kids feel, too. They love the idea! Miss10 had been looking forward to her special day for over 2 years, and now she’s already starting to think about what we could do when she turns 13. I think a morning walk on the beach has been mentioned, as well as massages, a movie, dinner at her favourite restaurant… you get the idea. And why not? They’ll only turn that age once. It’s a special day, a day for making special memories.
That’s what I think, anyway. Milestones should be memorable. So that’s what we’re doing.
And that’s it. My five tips for having kids who are happy, responsible, well-behaved, respectful, etc etc etc.
I’d love to hear what you think about it all! Do you agree? Disagree? Have other suggestions?
And, as always, thanks for stopping by, dear reader. Here’s wishing you a lovely day today!
🙂
– KRidwyn