A magical childhood doesn’t need an endless pot of gold. You don’t need to find the end of the rainbow to create a magical moment. You can make childhood memories with your children at any moment – in the special occasions like birthdays or holidays; in the one-of-a-kind moments like losing a tooth or learning to ride a bike; in the ordinary moments like walking to school, a conversation over lunch or a cuddle before they drift off to sleep. But as parents we have so many distractions. Sometimes we miss these moments, and then the magic of childhood and parenthood can begin to dim.
When the Magic of Childhood and Parenting Collide
This article is predominately aimed at parents with children aged between 6 and 8 years old.
Here are our 5 ways to help you embrace the magic of childhood again.
1. Rediscover the Magic of Adulthood
“Being an adult has been without a doubt, the most stupid dream I had as a child.”
―Efrat Cybulkiewicz
My youngest child is desperate to be a grown-up so that he won’t have to go to school. My eldest is looking forward to being able to eat as much chocolate as he wants. Our perception of adulthood as children is that we will escape the confines of being parented or educated. That we will escape things that we don’t like to do and our parent’s rules and restrictions. And while there is a freedom to adulthood – it doesn’t always feel like it when you are a parent.
Your responsibilities increase massively with each child. And you have all the other grown-up stuff that no-one really cares about as a child, like rent, mortgages, work, feeding everyone, the endless washing, taxiing – the list goes on. It’s no wonder that we lose the magic of adulthood pretty quickly.
But as parents we have a secret weapon – our children. They are discovering their world for the first time with innocence, curiosity and wonder. Can we rediscover the magic of adulthood and parenthood by simply embracing a magical moment with them again?
2. Take a break...
As parents our expectations of the ordinary day-to-day can be quite low. We are not looking to make a memory (unless it’s the day you actually made it to school on time). We are not engaged in the magical – we are in survival mode, educating mode, parenting mode. How can we ensure that each activity is educational or growing a life skill or a social skill? And we combine it with the pressure that all these things need to be done now. Or even better – yesterday.
To embrace magical moments with our children, we need to give ourselves permission to take a break from parenting, educating and guiding. Sometimes you need to forget about the mess, the to-do list and the time – and simply let yourself live, breathe and embrace this moment with your child.
3. Be Surprising...
As a child and as an adult I hate surprises. But I love to surprise my children. I love to plan activities and day-trips and keep them a secret until the last possible moment. My children find it vastly exasperating and annoying, but I still do it. By making things a surprise, you can create magical moments for your children in the everyday as well as the special.
You can also be surprising by simply joining in. We have a tendency as parents to stand on the side-line, taking a break – and I completely get it. But now and again, can you jump in the muddy puddle with them? Do a silly dance around the kitchen? Make a mess with them?
4. Learn Something New Together...
As children we are constantly learning new things, new skills, new places. Childhood can seem full of magical moments simply because there were so many more things to learn and do for the first time. And adulthood can feel so boring in comparison. There are always so many more obstacles to trying something new, going somewhere new, doing something new. Exhaustion and children being the main two! But how about combining learning something new and parenting our children?
Here are our ideas:
Learn to draw together – Art Hub for Kids is a great way to be creative together.
Exercise together – learn a new sport or let your child ‘teach’ you some of the games they play at school or at a club.
Get out the Lego and build something together – there are loads of videos on YouTube to get you started if you are a beginner.
Read together – read out loud to your child books that are new to you – you might enjoy them more than you think.
5. Share Your Story...
A big part of embracing the magic of your children is to tell the story of things you’ve done together. A mundane moment can turn into a magical memory by being retold. We will always have a little giggle about the magic show where Luc was really worried about the shoe. It’s not what we planned or expected him to remember about that afternoon. He is only seven, so that memory will probably get lost in all the other things he will experience. But as his parents, we will remember. We will share that story over the years and each time, we will embrace the magic of childhood again.
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