Making Memories - A Response To "Remember That Time, Dad?"

A bit ago, we published an article called: Remember That Time, Dad? I read it and decided that half of the story seemed to be missing. Where was the kid’s perspective? So, you’ve heard it from the adult’s perspective already, but here it is from the kid’s. Welcome to my version of Remember That Time, Dad?. Except this time, it’s from the kid’s perspective. 

I would read these two articles side by side. I’ve tried to keep the same headings and ideas and instead put in my perspective, so for the dads out there, you can read each section by section to see both perspectives.

The Magic of Making Memories

The best thing about those “Remember that time…” memories is that they weren’t always intentional. Most of the time, they come up when we’re least expecting it, but they soon become the funniest memories that will be remembered forever. 

I’m going to embarrass myself here, but for the greater good of emphasising my point. One year, on my birthday, my dad and I went to the park. On the walk over, we walked past a tree that had some thongs (flip flops, for our American readers) stuck in it. Me, a curious, innocent child, asked why they were up there. My dad decided to have some fun and told me that that’s how they make thongs. They grow on trees. I was so happy to have learnt something so interesting and new on my birthday. Walking back from the park, he told me that he was messing with me, to which I was annoyed at him. But still, it’s the funniest memory we have. Not planned, just a funny moment in our day that will live on forever.

It’s Not All About the Stuff

I made a single word change to the title, but it makes all the difference to the meaning. The research shows that material gifts are less memorable than experiences, to which I agree. But without the material gifts, the day to day memories don’t exist. I got my Wii U for my 11^th or 12^th birthday and I remember all the hours I sunk into playing Mario Kart 8, Splatoon and Skylanders. The latter two games don’t exist anymore, but boy do I remember playing them a lot. So when it comes to making memories, it’s not always about the stuff, but sometimes it can be.

Finding Story Moments in the Everyday

Stories show up no matter what day it is. It could be an ordinary Tuesday, a full on trip to Disneyland or a sick day at home. Just because it’s a special day out doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to get a memorable story out of it. So don’t force it, but be on the lookout for it. 

Of course there’s plenty of birthday parties and holidays I remember. But there’s also that one time our family all did a long distance running race…and we all lost. Plenty of small memories that showed up in the everyday.

Keeping the Stories Alive

This isn’t something that has a strict rule book and a “right” or “wrong” way to do it. But retelling the stories is part of the magic. When my dad told me about the thong tree, I was super young and probably would have forgotten about it in a week, but it was so funny that dad had to remind me. Telling stories is how we have passed on information for centuries. So keeping the story alive can just be about bringing it up every so often and by the time they’re older, they’ll remember it better than you.

The Story First Mindset

Dad and I used to go to Luna Park a lot. They had a relatively cheap yearly pass and so we’d go every so often, even for just an hour or two. One of the things we would plan to do at least once a year was to go to the Wild Mouse ride and buy the photo of us on the ride. It was something planned and structured that we would do. But it’s still a memory that lives on. This does go against the spirit of the original article, so here’s another story. I remember the Saturdays and Sundays that would turn quickly into Spring cleaning, no matter what time of the year it was. Music channel would go on, speakers blasting and the cleaning needed to begin. I obviously didn’t enjoy the cleaning of it, but I still remember it. Spontaneous, structured events that quickly turned into memories.

To be honest, as I reflect on the memories that I lived through, both good and bad, I get excited. I will hopefully have a family that my future wife and I will build together, and I can’t wait to see what memories get created there.

DADDING IN ACTION

Pick one ordinary thing this week, and make it a memory.