Family Journaling
Bernadine Sevy
"Kid's Journal"
From the day my children were born, I have kept a journal for each of them. I sometimes
write, weekly but mostly bi-weekly. I record their everyday doings, achievements, gifts
received, funny sayings, milestones etc. It has been important for me to do this and I had
no idea how important, until now as they have started to get older.
When my daughter, Rachel, was feeling particularly unloved one day, I found her reading
letters of love I had written to her in her journal. I learned to humble myself quickly,
she was also receiving validation in a way that I had intended.
Every mother dreads that she won't be around to raise her children, having children
suddenly ends the immortal phase of our lives, the journals have been a great source of
comfort. The journals have also turned out to be valuable records. When Johanna, my
12 year old, was six months old my father had to return to South Africa and he wrote
a letter in her Journal, beautiful and heart-breaking words to his first grand-child about
his sadness at having to leave her. I was scrap-booking this last week and found the
photo's of the day he left, I needed the date and racked my brains, I ran and got Hanna's
journal and ended up copying the letter to finish the page. Right on it was the date, he
flew out.
A few weeks before my due date, Jim and I always go on a date to find a
journal for the new baby. We get fabric-covered journals and I have to find the
perfect cover for the baby, whose personality I have tried hard to figure out. Joseph's
favorite color is red, his journal is covered in s geometric design, mostly red, Miriam's
favorite color is yellow and her journal is covered in Sunflowers, and so it goes.
I put the journal in my hospital bag and write as soon after the baby is born as I can.
The first entry is always a letter to my baby, about his or her name, birth, how we feel
and so on. I also glue into the front a photo taken of them and me right after birth.
We forget so much over time,
memories fade and the feelings with them, but getting out a journal and rereading revives
those feelings and reminds us about our commitments. One of the most wonderful things for
me to see is one of my children reading from their journals, or asking for me to read from
them about some special time.
It is never to late to start one and continue one. Johanna is 12
and I still write in her journal, she has one that she keeps of her own, they get them when they're eight, but I
keep writing because my perspective of their lives might be important one day.
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