Orlando, FL 2012: So enamored of his outlandish childhood, Isaiah remains committed to coloring eggs for the Easter Bunny because to do otherwise would be to disown part of his youth. He and his sister, Arianna, continue to drink deeply of the full measure of their years with which they remain intimately familiar and reverent.
From Trent Ling:
I have thoroughly enjoyed an overly nostalgic and reminiscent week. It has further ballooned and blossomed my 47 years into a few additional millennia. Designed to be short, life should still run wide and deep. I know that my fortunes started early. My parents cared deeply for me, looked out for me, monitored my “things,” demonstrated to me the value of perspective, and had the wisdom to know that artifacts seemingly insignificant today could likely be indispensable tomorrow. As a result of their efforts and my noticing, today I much better enjoy the size and scope of life with ready access even to my own archeology.
So, I appeal to parents to preserve their children’s youth. Store their schoolwork, their possessions, their creations, the tangible markers of their lives, their writings and musings. Give them a voice recorder and have them express themselves (starting as soon as they can speak). Offload and store their verbiage. Give them an inexpensive video recorder and have them document their worlds at their leisure through their own eyes employing their own unique narration. Please don’t save everything like a mindless packrat. But discern and respect those relevant, date-stamping items marking their existence.
Long, wide, full, and deep are the lives of the engaged. To excavate and keep forever the fresh tenderness unique to the young, facilitate your kids’ discoveries. Allow them to record, certify, and feel love and loss, victory and defeat, joy and anguish. Given the proper tools, their youthful editorial choices will speak volumes to their aged revisit of their historic work.
When grown, they may thank you here and there for knowing better and acting accordingly. Much more than that, they will come to know themselves. More insightfully, they will review years over which they were originally too nearsighted to imbibe. What a treat and a true treasure.
Meanwhile, those with parents failing or skipping Parenting 125 shall endure typically debilitating haziness about their formative, prerequisite years. No great perspective, no aggregation, and no crescendoing existence. So unnecessary, sad, and common.
This course demands great heart, extraordinary effort, significant time allotment, wise consideration, and season-by-season diligence. Pay these prices. There are no excuses. The rewards last forever and will outweigh any other gift or service that you might have had in mind.
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I can honestly and humbly say that if I wasn’t a Disciple of Jesus I’m certain that this teaching never would have taken flight in my home. I do not have the insight, sensitivity, care or conviction in my natural self to preserver the memories for my children. Thank goodness I’m in this ministry and learned many years ago about this topic. Even my parents saved various belongings of mine and therefore this posting should be common sense to me but NO; I’m a goofball that would probably throw out everything in the name of ‘keeping the house clean’. Fortunately, my children will be able to enjoy what this posting teaches thanks to the scriptures. This is one of those moments where I am reminded how applicable and necessary the bible is to us; especially a nearsighted man like myself. Thank you. Amen!
I was a sentimental mom and I kept copies of school work, art work even clothes of my children. Neither was interested in their prior history treasures. After two major moves I have discarded some of those memories but I still have some unique items of my children
past. Your article had me go down memory lane. I wish I had a video camera at the time to record more events of their lives. Thank you for sharing this. Letty
I was backing up our raw movies/clips library last night, I stopped and watched a few of our Summer 2007 boat ride (tubing) and Za’s first shaving his mustache clips. They both were still little kids and Za’s voice was so different; it just started to get deeper. Also I thumbed through all the mother’s day cards they made ever since they know how to write, it’s priceless! With the digital technology that’s available out there now, little kids and parents this generation can preserve almost anything.. the sky is the limit! Good advise, Poo!
Wow, I read this early in the morning and it began a long day of review and humility. I would love to write “yes, we do that” and take credit for starting it. Unfortunately anything that resembles that, was because of Tawnya (my wife) who got the ball rolling. As a father who struggles with organization, planning, processes, structure, laziness, etc (and the list is long) – I am truly thankful for Tawnya’s coordinated and calculated efforts – and to God for His obvious involvement in our daughters life. I was a clueless parent in the beginning years, and it moved into the “failing” category that is mentioned. It is truly humbling to see how the failure can lead to an “empty” existence. Psalm 68:5a A father to the fatherless . . . I am so thankful to God for stepping in when I was absent. Yet it really doesn’t excuse me!
“Give them a voice recorder… give them an inexpensive video recorder”–thank you for the concrete example and clear instructions, Om Trent! I am delighted to witness Za & Ari’s youthfulness and tenderness–they have always been obvious! Thanks for sharing the secret. Love you.