Children LOVE to hear stories about themselves when they were younger! Whether accompanied by a leisurely look through old photo albums or watching video of bygone days, part of a family’s story involves keeping those tales of babyhood and the younger days alive.
I’ve found as a parent, that now that my kids are older, it’s interesting for me too to look back and see how much of their personalities have been with them from day one and how much they’ve changed in other ways. There was a period here a couple years ago, when my kids weren’t too interested in remembering their younger childhood, but now that they are older high schoolers (at least my daughters), they’ve reached a bit of a nostalgic phase and are enjoying looking back through baby books again and hearing stories of their adventures as young tots and toddlers.
Some parents keep journals and stories actually written down of their children’s temperament and adventures. I remember making up a book for my older two when I was pregnant with the youngest one–I think we might have called our homemade book “When I Was a Baby” and I drew pictures and told stories of the sorts of things they did when they were tiny. They loved that homemade book and it helped them to prepare for having another baby in the house.
I don’t think we ever tire of hearing about our infant and baby days. My own mother still likes to compare my own childhood antics to those of my kids, saying “You never did that, “ or “She’s so much like you.” It helps to maintain a sense of connection, as well as helping build an evolving sense of identity. So, the next time you’re trying to start up a conversation with your child–or redirect activity and change the subject, why not tell a story to share just what sort of a baby he or she was? It may just become one of the “favorite” stories.
See Also: The Art of Storytelling and Comparing Family Stories