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If you have not been journaling as a family, I encourage you to pick up a sturdy, spiral bound hardcover book, a pen, some crayons and stickers (for the young ones) and start writing. Here are some benefits:
Preserve memories
If you want to look back one year down the line and laugh out loud at some silly thing you did over Christmas lunch, journal it. In one of my journals, I allowed our first child to draw and write whatever came into his mind. Most 6-year-olds like to draw pictures of their family members and so he attempted. The end result was a daddy with an ostrich-like long neck and a tiny head, a mom with two left square legs, one shorter than the other.
To date, ten years later, I open that journal and burst out in laughter...oh, and I have leverage on a teen that would do anything to preserve his reputation. A journal is a good place to record family events such as birthdays, pin up notes from friends and pen down wish-lists as well as things you are grateful for.
Connect deeper
In a fast-paced and somewhat incoherent world, it’s vital to cultivate intimate relationships with loved ones. Forge stronger bonds within the family by sharing thoughts, ideas, feelings and experiences in a journal. Apart from enriching the family experience, it also builds self esteem in children when parents put value on what they write. Younger children may prefer to express their thoughts through drawings and stickers. Encourage them to do so.
My daughter has always created pretty little things to express her love for family and life. Hanging on my wardrobe is a picture of a big sun with a smiley face and a rainbow with the writing, “momy the sunshine of the hause” (sic). In that way, Zoe expresses her love and thoughts toward me, further deepening our bond.
Appreciate life’s milestones
Every baby’s milestone is a wonder and a miracle. The first cry that woke up all the babies in the ward, the first smile that got you mesmerised, the teething phase and the first word will bring back sweet memories years to come. But that’s not all, the more you pen down these milestones, the more you appreciate your babies progress and enjoy the journey.
Kids, as I have come to learn from mine, like to hear stories about their childhood. ‘Was I a cry-baby, did I sleep well, did I bite?’ are among the questions they keep asking. If I had documented their milestones like I am trying to do now, I would simply open the pages and have them read for themselves.
Creative family time
Many families spend time together watching television or playing games. Why not ban screen time for some time and have some journaling fun? Here is how. Have one person begin a story and pass it around until the story concludes. You will laugh at the creative flow of ideas! Trace every family member’s hand or better still, do hand prints from the largest to the smallest (food color works just fine).
Instead of speed texting at a food court while waiting for your order, look around you and begin writing what you see in alphabetical order then pass it on to the next person. Collect souvenirs such as leaves from your holiday (upcountry or the Maldives) and stick them on a dated page. Remember to save a page for some interesting people you may meet while away as well as extended family members and friends. Whatever you do, where you go, do not leave your family journal behind.
Develop writing and narration skills
When parents introduce journaling to their kids at an early age, it gives them a platform to develop writing skills as well as the ability to narrate a story. However, to keep the journaling experience free and fun, avoid correcting grammar on the journal. The poor spelling, squawky handwriting and wrong punctuation will create laughable memoirs for the future.
Encourage legibility and use of stickers and illustrations. By the time the family is winding up the first journal, you will have noticed growth in writing and telling stories. Who knows, your child may even develop a hobby or sharpen a gift through it.
Journaling is therapeutic
I find that one of the ancient kings of Israel, King David must have known the benefits of journaling and so documented his pain, frustrations, failures, joys and victories in the book of Psalms. According to socio-psychologist Dr James Pennebaker, spending just 20 minutes per day, three to four days per week writing things down – thoughts, feelings, or any other experience can actually help increase immune function and make one more resistant to disease or infection.
In the same way, bottling up emotions and inadvertently burying them deep within the subconscious can have devastating effects on your long-term health. While you may need to log some feelings into a private journal, some events and experiences are family shared such as an illness that took a toll on everyone or losing a close family friend. Pouring this into the pages of a journal is good for your emotional health as a family.
Share the fun
When you begin journaling and get the hang of it, encourage your extended family and friends to do the same. Buying them a journal and a nice pen as a gift is a great way to inspire them to begin. They will be grateful you made that gesture!
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