It's My Special "Golden Day" With Mom...

Fall is in the air and with its return, are the memories of older days when the children and I were beginning a new school year. When a mother has 4 children very close in age, one must be creative in order to give each child some special, individual attention. At the beginning of each school year, I have fond memories of one such special "golden day" set aside to spend with each member of my brood.



I realize that there are many things that I most likely did wrong (children are not presented with an instruction manual) or perhaps other mothers did better than I, during my child rearing days. However, there are also a lot of little special traditions that I started that were designed to make each of my children feel special in their own way. One of those traditions was our mother child outing prior to school starting each year.



I have always tried to be fair and impartial with my children. So, when I decided to start this little special outing, I needed to find a fair way to choose who went first each year. I wrote the numbers 1-4 on small pieces of paper, placed them in a bowl and then had each child draw a number. The number they chose was the order in which they would get to participate in the outing with me. The outing itself, consisted of a day that focused solely on them spending time with mom; this was a rarity.



I suppose this idea perhaps came to life after observing moms rush through stores with their children in tow, hectically throwing school supplies into buggies. I thought...wow; this could be such an opportunity...WHAT IF...and a tradition was born. About a week or two before school started each year, this is what we did. The child, whose "golden day" it was, got to "leisurely" go shop for school supplies first. With supply list in hand, we perused all of the neat new items that were available for purchase that year. I allowed them to see all of their options before making any selections. When they did begin choosing items, it was interesting to discover that the items they chose, curiously reflected their personalities; from sport themed folders to cartoon notebooks and sparkly pencils. Other items they got to purchase, included a brand new backpack and lunchbox...new year, new class, new start, new supplies...how could one NOT be excited about beginning a new school year? Next, it was on to the uniform store.



Whenever our school went to wearing uniforms, I personally loved it. This cut down on prep time in the mornings and I was required to buy only a few outfits per child for their school attire. A personal touch to their wardrobe came in the form of shoes. I allowed each child to choose a new pair of school shoes each fall; the boys generally chose the newest tennis shoe out, while Caitlin chose cute little colorful Doc Martens. With supplies and uniform purchased, we then moved on to the last portion of our "golden day".



I allowed each child to choose their favorite restaurant for just the 2 of us to dine at that day. I didn't matter what their choice was...or if in the end more than one person chose the same place; I ate there again. This day was ALL ABOUT THEM and their choices; not mine. Once at the restaurant, we sat there and talked about the new school year that was about to begin, their friends and all of the activities they planned on being involved in that year. This was essentially the BEST DAY EVER; not just for them, but for me as well! After lunch, we headed home with all of their loot to show the others, who were patiently waiting for their turn. Listening to that day's participant, I could almost mentally hear them making their own plans for their very own "golden day".



Traditions...one has to take time to make these. Opportunities are everywhere. The problem with most people is that in their busyness, they fail to slow down, enjoy life and make some memories. The days of back to school shopping with my children are long gone; they are all grown and busy with their own lives now. However, this tradition built the foundation for other things I can now observe from a quickly expanding family. We make time for each other. Because our family IS expanding, we strive to find time in our new busy lives to slow down long enough to all get together. I am not sure that there is a day that goes by that we all don't talk to each other...sometimes several times a day. Our close knit uniqueness is what sets up apart. I would like to believe that those special, one on one, "golden days" with mom had some sort of impact that has made my children savor life and continue to make memories with one another as we enter into the new phases of our lives.