Making Memories

Making memories with my kids is something near and
dear to my heart. When they grow up, I want them to be able to point back to
moments in their lives that stand out as noteworthy.

Since my kids are spread out over a few years, I’m
pretty resigned to having to tailor whole-family activities to something my
littlest can tolerate. This can be tough when you have a ‘tween who’s itching
to go to a PG-13 movie, the golf course, or the mall.

With the recent release of The Hunger Games film, I faced this problem head-on. My oldest, who
had read the book, wanted desperately to see the movie – and so did I! Not only
did I want to check out the content of the film, but seeing a movie in the
theater is one of those carefree pleasures that seemed to evaporate once I had
children.

My solution was to leave the younger-than-PG-13
crowd behind for a little one-on-one time with my oldest, not to mention the
rare opportunity to get to see a movie before it becomes available on Netflix.
Carving out that block of time for just one of my kids makes for a special
memory not soon forgotten, and also liberates me from another afternoon
dragging everyone to the park and endlessly pushing my smallest on the swings.

All parents who have more than one child sometimes
feel pulled in multiple directions by the different interests, ages, and even
genders of their children. We value our special, one-on-one time with each of
our kids, and it’s important for each of them to feel important on their own
terms. Some activities are more appropriate for one or two of my children, but
not the whole family, and I’ve found that occasionally
splitting up the group brings us closer together.