Start Journaling With Your Children For A Deeper Connection

Happy Friday Everyone! Today I wanted to share something very special with you. About a year ago, my oldest daughter Gianna and I started a journal. We call it the Gia and Mommy Journal and we take turns writing back and forth to each other. We talk about anything and everything in it. Once we write an entry in the journal, we leave it on the other's pillow. It is just the sweetest thing in the whole wide world. When I walk into my bedroom and see that journal all propped up and waiting for me, I cannot describe the joy. Every single time I see it I smile and I swear my heart does too. Even on my worst days, when I walk into my room and see it there on my pillow, my bad mood just instantly melts away.

Our Gia and Mommy Journal has become something that we both cherish. I'm hoping by sharing, it will get some of you mommy and daddies out there to try a little journaling of your own. You will be astounded at what you learn about your children, what you learn about yourself as a parent, and how much closer you will become to your little monkeys.                  

Now that we are not too far away from school supply shopping, I thought this would be a good time to blog about this special activity. I'm sure along with all the notebooks and binders, the stores will have the journals out too. So if you'd like to start this darling tradition, go ahead and grab some journals while you're out and about.

It's just amazing what I have learned about my daughter through journaling with her. It's such a different way of communicating with a child and it takes on a completely different dynamic. I find my daughter's writing to be so much more in-depth than when we speak. I have found in life that people tend to speak more from their heads but write more from their soul. So it shouldn't have surprised me that my Gia is the same way. But at first it did take me aback, I mean she was only nine (she's 10 now). I just wasn't expecting such deep topics to be brought up. Subjects such as bullying, self-image, death, God, and a plethora of others are always popping up.

In our household, family time always consists of us either playing games, watching movies, playing outside, a family workout, or a Barnes and Noble night. We love spending time together. We talk about all kinds of things but the deeper subjects just don't come up too often. We're concentrated on having a great time and bebopping around so the soul searching types of discussions just aren't on our radar. Those topics aren't on our minds because we're too busy having fun.

Our journal entries aren't always about deep and profound subjects though, in fact most of the time it's just funny stories, talking about the day, or a quick little I love you note. No matter what the topic or mood, it brings us closer. It's something that we both really love to do with each other.

Now that my Jossy is getting a little older (she just turned seven) and reading and writing very well, she wants to start up a Jossy and Mommy Journal. So I am very excited to start journaling with her as well. In fact Jossy will be picking out her journal at Barnes and Noble next week when we go for family night (we try to go to B & N at least twice a month as a family, it's our favorite place to go!).

When Gia and I started this journal, it made me think. What if we would've never started this? Would I have made time to really address all of these topics in the times that I needed to? Would I have been intuitive enough to know that these really heavy and important subjects were on my baby girl's mind? My goodness, how many times did her little self ponder these big thoughts and have no outlet for them? I am so grateful that I have the honor to get to know my daughter on such a different level. When I read her words and thoughts on paper, I get a true sense of who she is now, who she will be as an adult, and what kind of impact she will have on the world. And I gotta tell ya, I might be a little biased, but I think the world is really, REALLY lucky to have her.

I know I am.

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