We Are The Memory Makers

Previously, I wrote about how moms are the memory keepers of families. Moms are the memory makers of families as well. (Not to leave the dads out; I have many great memories with him too, but we’ll just focus on moms today).

…Fast in my mind are the Saturday mornings of my childhood. Maybe we didn’t eat eggs and bacon every Saturday, but it seemed like it. Maybe I didn’t always help my mom mix pancakes in the green Tupperware “pancake bowl” But it seems that way. (I later found an exact duplicate of that green bowl at a tag sale for fifty cents! So strong is that memory!).

When did we start calling those egg sandwiches my mother made, “Egg McMommie’s”? I don’t know, but we have never stopped. I made “Egg McJulie’s” for my husband after we got married, but now I am excited to change the name back to Egg McMommie’s when our little boy is old enough to eat them.

I remember my mom stopping at the 7-11 after school – it seemed like every day, but it couldn’t have been – to buy us three kids a hot dog and a Big Gulp (that we shared). I remember the few years she decided to homeschool us, when our mid-morning break involved my mother serving us hot cinnamon toast out of the oven and a hot cocoa before we resumed our studies. A welcome break! I wish every school child could have that treat around 10 o’clock!

My mother always had some “tradition” going throughout the year, like the stringing of popcorn and cranberries at Christmas, or the holiday decor in the bow window of the dining room at Easter, Valentines, Thanksgiving.

Perhaps she didn’t know she was creating lasting memories in my mind. Small things. But memory makers, still.

What will my legacy of memories be for my children? I try to read and play games… but I am sure memorable family traditions just develop over time…

Did your family have traditions when you were growing up? A special meal, trip, or activity? What do you do to create fun memories for your children?