Giving your kids treasures

I have a few precious things: an expensive camera set, my Dad’s service medals, a little silver elephant that belonged to an uncle. However, if the house was burning down and I only had a moment to grab one thing, I’d probably grab a photo album – the one  with pictures of my parents and grandparents and childhood holidays . But, if I wasn’t fast enough and the whole house burnt down before I could grab a thing, I would still have my most valuable treasure locked away in my head and my heart: my memories in my head and a sense of belonging and being loved in my heart.

I have all sorts of memories, like getting mussels out at Bethells Beach with Dad and cooking them on a bit of tin right there on the beach.  I know – I am fortunate, because I do have a wonderful upbringing to remember. I also know that some of you won’t have had that – you may not have many happy memories. But your children can. They can have a stack of treasures in their head and heart that will make them feel good all life-long.  

Here’s the thing: you don’t need to spend a lot of money. It does not need to be expensive, so don’t wait until you win Lotto to start creating memory treasures. When I think back to my childhood, the things that I remember best are traditions, things we often used to do as family; little rituals about food and holidays, like always snapping the wish bone of the chicken, or Friday pizza night, or singing grace together and bedtime cuddles, or the traditions around Christmas and birthdays. It was just ordinary life, but my parents added a little bit of fun, a bit of flourish, turned it into a tradition and, somehow, decades later, it means I know where I came from, that I belong somewhere and that I am loved. That’s  real treasure.

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