How We Forget
As a parent, so much happens every single day. I sit through moments watching my children play and learn and love, and I think to myself, there’s no way I will ever forget this. But I do. I forget. I forget the silly things that explode out of their mouths when trying to repeat an expression they’ve heard. I forget what one did to the other to make them laugh uncontrollably for over ten minutes. I even forget about the items “accidentally” flushed down a toilet.
How to Remember
So this year, I wanted to change that. I wanted to remember the little things. Because those little things aren’t so little. These are the moments that make parenting great. They make parenting worth it. We get to see our children become who they were destined to be—all through these “forgettable” instances.
I decided to begin creating a memory journal. You may be thinking, Gosh, please don’t give me another daily task to add to my list. Like me, I’m sure you’re way too busy to keep a thorough journal. If that’s the case, this can still work for you!
All you need to do to help yourself remember the little details about your children or your life is to write down ONE THING from each day. Write down one quote, one memory, one moment, one milestone that occurred that day, and suddenly you’ll have a collection of those precious happenings.
How I Do It
- I grabbed an old, large three-ringed binder from my college days and filled it with lined paper.
- I bought some section tabs to keep the months in the year separate.
- I gave each page a day of the year (January 1, January 2, and so on).
- Then, at the end of each day, I write down the year and one thing that I want to remember.
It’s the middle of December, and I have an entire binder filled with the simple moments from this year that I probably would have otherwise forgotten. What’s even better—I plan to continue writing on these pages next year. So when January 1stcomes around, I’ll not only add a memory from 2022, but I’ll also get to see what memory was so valuable to me the previous year. And then the pages will build and build with moments I can reread and REMEMBER each year.
How to Personalize It
If you decide to take on this project, too, make it your own! Do what is easiest for you! You can keep track of these memories however is best for you:
- Open your phone calendar, and write down an event from each day.
- Keep a running document on your computer.
- Or go old-school like I did—keep a three-ring binder filled with pages of moments worth remembering.
If your kids are old enough, maybe even encourage them to begin this kind of journaling. It doesn’t take much time, and some of your favorite moments won’t slip away as easily. The best part about this project is that I am able to drift into sleep with gratitude after writing what made each day memorable.
