Last Updated on December 8, 2023 by The Smetz Files
In this post I share how I email my kids to preserve memories and my in-the-moment perspective of their childhood.
When I learned I was pregnant with our son, I jotted notes frequently in a notebook on my bedside table.
Mostly I wrote pregnancy updates, details I wanted to remember, and my general thoughts as I experienced the initial moments of motherhood.
I did this again for our daughter just shy of two years later. As babies and toddlers I continued to journal and write letters to them, mostly to capture cute anecdotes and milestones that I knew I would regret forgetting in subsequent years.
A Better Way
Time between writings grew further and farther between, I was chasing two kids under two years old at one point, and well, I was often too exhausted to write cogently at the end of a long day.
Still, I wanted to maintain my thoughts for them, so I created an email account, just for them. I found it was easier to jot an email or send photos on my phone as moments happened I wanted to commemorate for them. My intent is one day I will give them the password and the emails will be an anthology of their formative years, chock full of funny anecdotes, specific words or phrases they used, their ‘firsts’ and major life events, etc…
I wasn’t very good at keeping a baby book, in fact, I don’t think I ever had one for our daughter. I am not crafty or artistic in a way that would produce anything ever worth keeping, but this was my way of sharing memories, thoughts, and insights of their childhood in a meaningful way. Obviously I will need to stay on top of technological advances to preserve some of the digital images (who remembers family videos on VHS→DVDs?).
Preserving Memories
I’m so glad I decided to jot down these things in some form, either written or typed via email, because often as we’re driving or they’re helping me prepare meals, they’ll ask about when they were babies. And despite my best efforts, the details are fuzzy, they’ve blurred with the passage of time. They so enjoy scrolling through my devices of archived photos and giggling as they recall or ask about a certain photo. Sometimes I question if they really remember past events when they were super young, or if they’ve seen the photos and heard the stories, thus it seems like a real memory for them? Nevertheless, it’s always a fun conversation, to stroll down memory lane with them.
How do you preserve your treasured moments for your family? What little moments feel significant and how do you share those with your kiddos?
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