Memories are made of this….

Today granny came for lunch, and the boys were singing ‘funny’ songs to her. This started a whole trip down memory lane for me, Rob and granny. Remember all those old songs? The fun songs from our youth?

Des & Dawn Lindberg… I’m a pink toothbrush, you’re a blue toothbrush… or “My dog’s bigger than your dog…”

Jeremy Taylor… Jake the Pake with the extra leg!

Remember those?

I remember trips to Durban, sitting in the car singing “Ag please daddy…” as loud as possible, laughing with my brother and parents. All of us waiting for that “VOETSAK!” at the end, where we all burst into fits of giggles at our our parents’ mock horror that we actually said such a bad word!  Every time.

My mom always used to sing a song her granny taught her… it began “Ask your mom for sixpence to see the new giraffes. With pimples on his whiskers and pimples on his Ask no questions, tell no lies, I saw a policeman doing up his Flies are a nuisance and bugs are worse. And that is the end of my silly little verse.” It really used to have us in naughty glee for being able to ALMOST swear. 🙂

My hubby remembers walking in the rain to the shop with his dad and sister once, singing “There’s a hole in my bucket dear Liza, dear Liza” all the way. A song that no doubt lasted all the way there. And back! But him and his sister remember that day fondly. From the song, to the slap chips they bought, to the exact bus shelter they took cover under to eat their chips.

This tale triggered a memory we made with our own kids… walking through the woods of Glacier National Park in the US about three years ago. It was beginning to get dark so we were hurrying back. We told the kids to sing – because we were told that bears would shy away from noise! – and so we walked through the woods, singing a horrible Sponge Bob song that they used to love, called The Fun Song. It is one of those songs that gets stuck in your head no matter how very hard you try to not let it! In fact, as I remember the walk now, it is already starting to take over my head with it’s super annoying tune. at the back of my head somewhere and I will no doubt have it stuck for a few days now. Sigh.

My point is this… it isn’t the PSP’s you get them. Or the pocket money. Or the XBoxes… cell phones… gifts… games… movies… clothes… or any of those things that you are going to be sitting around a table talking about in years to come. It is the time that you spent with them making  those memories that will stick out in their minds.

Your time is what kids hold precious and dear. Everyone is busy, and everyone is always pressed for time. You are always telling them how precious time is, and how little you have… so imagine how much of a big deal it is to them when you give them some of that precious commodity?

So next time you go on holiday, don’t just plug them in for peace-sake. Sing with them. Tell stories. Play the number plate game. Or eye spy! My kids love eye-spy. The alphabet game too. Make a silly pit stop along the way and do something outrageous. Often, the cornier the better. Because those are the stories that will make it to the table when they have their own kids. That is how they will remember you and the kind of parent you were in years to come.

That is the legacy that you leave.

A life-long blessing for children is to fill them with warm memories of times together. Happy memories become treasures in the heart to pull out on the tough days of adulthood. (Charlotte Davis Kasl)

Happy memory making!

F is for friends who do stuff together, U is for Ukelele… AAARGH! Curse you Spongbob!