As I mentioned in this post, my daughter turned 3 this month. There is a saying that says, “The days are long, but the years are short.” That is certainly true when it comes to parenting. I can’t remember much from the days when Francesca was a newborn, which is probably why I’m pregnant with our second child. Ha!
Anyhoo, I wanted to be intentional about documenting what my daughter was like at each age. So I have started two birthday traditions that I wanted to share with you.
Birthday Facts Sheet
I started making these on Francesca’s 2nd birthday and love taking the time to think about the things she likes and dislikes and her favorite words/phrases. It is a great snapshot of who she is at that age. As I accumulate more pages, I plan to compile them in a spiral-bound book.
If creating a printable isn’t your thing, you could take this same idea and adjust it to your taste by:
- turning it into a scrapbook
- making a digital collage with photos
- framing it each year as a birthday gift
- turning it into their birthday card
Birthday Letters
The other way I document my daughter’s birthday is to write a letter to her. I tell her about her personality and behavior at that age, how parenting her is and the special things that have happened the past year. You could also write about activities you do together, what a typical day looks like or hopes for the coming year.
If you aren’t a letter writer, you could make this idea your own by:
- creating an email account for your child that you send these to
- record a voice memo
- film yourself on video with or without the child
Great ideas, right? But I bet you are asking yourself, “How I am supposed to remember to do this every year, especially with multiple kids?” or “How am I supposed to find time to do this?”
Good point.
The first question is an easy one; just set a reminder in your phone or calendar about a week before the child’s birthday to give you plenty of time to work on them when you get a few spare minutes.
And when it comes to finding time, keep it simple if you are in a busy season. Write birthday facts on the back of your birthday card to your child. Or record a voice memo while you’re setting in the car line or while you are getting ready in the morning.
Doing anything imperfectly is far better than doing nothing perfectly.
I’m sure your child will agree when they are old enough to enjoy these glimpses of themselves as kids.