The written word is powerful. Certainly, it's important to speak words of blessing and encouragement to our sons and daughters, but writing has the potential to last much longer since words can be saved and read over and over again. The written word has power to shape and encourage our children and build a lasting family legacy. Short notes, journal entries, letters and even e-mails can be great tools to keep in touch and affirm our children. One great way of doing this is by keeping a written journal for each child. Just get a book of blank pages and write about what's happening in your family's life; or the joys of being a father; your hopes and dreams for your child as he or she grows; or the important values and beliefs you want to pass on.
Start while pregnant, or if your kids are older, it's never too late. You can write every day, or once a week. More realistically, record your thoughts on birthdays or holidays, and at special events like graduations, significant "firsts" in their lives, or a time when they're embarking on a new venture or taking a step of faith. Or, it could simply be a time when something specific is on your heart. Including the date will give it even more long-term impact like a family record.
I have decided to not only do this for each of my 4 monkeys but also record some of these moments on an electronic format (you know, just in case something were to happen to the "hard" copy). In a way, that was how I was using social media networks. Randomly posting things my kids have said or done that I found important or down right funny. These are things I want to retell one day...and well, with 4 of them I'm sure I will forget the details.
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