How to Make Lasting Memories

May 31, 2014 / Nancy Ruth /

What will your children remember most this year?

Are you juggling life with elementary children at home? Is one kid more than enough?

Are you trying to raise your family to know the Bible and follow Jesus?

Are you exploring this Jesus stuff for the first time and wanting your kids to be part of the journey?

If so, then this is the place for you!

Life is busy.

You’ve got soccer practice, music lessons, homework, laundry, errands to run… The list goes on and on. Many nights you seem to fall into bed exhausted.

You blink and a week has passed. Then a whole year with only some pictures and scattered memories to show for it.

You know,

Memories are funny things.

It’s often the little things we remember forever, not the “big stuff.”

Think about it. What do you remember most from when you were in elementary school?

Is it the vacations you took? Family reunions, weddings, or funerals? Specific school programs? Sports games? Music recitals? Church events?

Was it little acts of kindness? Other things that may have seemed small to grown ups but were important to you? What stands out the most?

One of my fondest memories was of a single man from our church who was a family friend. He made sure to say hi to me every time he saw me which made me feel special.

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

John 13:5

One year, my sister and I were both invited to the same Father-Daughter Dance. My dad asked if there was another man we would like to ask to be one of our dates. That way both men could trade off dancing with us.

I immediately thought of my friend from church.

We had a blast and I will never forget that night. The one night was a result of all the little times my friend had made me feel valued.

This was especially important to me in elementary school because at the time I wondered if only my family loved me.

God used this man to show me the Lord loved me and there were others who loved me just the way I was too.

Remind your kids often that you love them & God loves them too.

When building a lasting memory with your kids, look for little ways to show you love them.

Give an unexpected hug.
Put a note where they will see it which says one reason why you love them.
Ask them to tell you about what they are interested in and learn about it.
Take a bike ride or make cookies together.
Give them a little surprise gift (even a homemade one or a flower you picked from the yard).
Spend time reading God’s Word and praying together.
Do your best to answer their questions and research the answers you don’t know together.
Busy parents (moms, dads, grandparents, and all those raising kids) don’t have unlimited time or answers. You do, however, have the capacity to love.
Sometimes it just takes a conscious effort to remember to show it.
Your child desperately needs your love. Will you make the time?

Best of all, when your child does feel loved, you give them a glimpse of God’s love.

“This is what I have asked of God for you: that you will be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love, and that you will have the rich experience of knowing Christ with real certainty and clear understanding. For God’s secret plan, now at last made known, is Christ himself.“

Colossians 2:2 (TLB)

What are some things that make your kids feel loved? What memories do they still talk about? Share your stories and ideas in the comments below.

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