Health & Fitness
A Trip Down Memory Lane
We need to inspire creativity and encourage experiences so that children can learn the lessons they need to move forward in life. We won't get to relive these moments again.
“Take care of all your memories for you cannot relive them.” – Bob Dylan
The holidays always bring a mixed bag of feelings.
Schedules. Stress. Friends. Family. Turkey (Turkey can be felt…Just remember that feeling at the table after you have had too much of it.) Warmth. Hope.
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As I sat back this year trying to brainstorm on a good costume for my husband and I to wear to a Halloween party we had been invited to, I was reminded of all the crazy Halloween costumes I wore growing up. I came across pictures on Facebook of other kids, their families, pictures of the past and memories came flooding back from my childhood.
Halloween at the Butler house was always fun. Though my parents were pretty conservative Christians, they always made a point of making Halloween about using your imagination. It was an opportunity to be creative and try out your ideas through a costume. Of course for a long time, I only ever wanted to be a princess, but by about age 7 or 8, I was up for being a bit more creative (and oh, the costumes we came up with!)
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One of the most memorable years was back in 1993. We lived in California at the time (a place where it isn’t supposed to rain in October.) My brother and I had the bright idea of dressing up as Jack-n-the-boxes. We got cardboard boxes and my parents helped paint them and put the costumes together. I hadn’t really figured out how I would sit at my desk at school but I was pretty proud of my costume! Well, that morning the unthinkable happened. It rained in California. I have always been an optimistic person and that day was no different. I went to school as planned. At that time I went to a public junior high school. This meant moving between classrooms outside to different buildings in the rain. By the time I had to make it home on the bus let’s just say, I had no problem getting the box to fit. While my costume was ruined in the end, I had so much fun putting it together and as cheesy as it was, I learned a few lessons about practicality as well.
These are the kinds of memories that warm my heart. Now that I am grown with my own children, I think about how time has flown and that my children are already making these memories. Many people are quick to say that it isn’t safe anymore to go trick-or-treating. Many say that our times are violent and that raising kids in this day and age is worse than it ever has been. What I am so frustrated with is that many want to take the fun and creativity out of Halloween and the holidays. Even though there are always naysayers, specifically I am thinking about the I-96 shooter that is terrorizing the freeways and causing havoc. Or the mayor from a michigan city has decided to eliminate trick or treating entirely.
I could sit here and provide you statistics on how violence has actually declined since the late 80s and 90s. According to a 2011 FBI Report, Violent Crime and Homicide rates were at their highest in 1991 with over 758 per 100,000population versus 403 per 100,000population in 2010 (Source: “Crime in the US, 1991-2010”, Bureau of Justice Statistics, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_the_United_States) But this isn’t what Halloween and the holidays are about.
Raising children in any society is the most challenging experience of our lives. Teaching children morals and raising them to be proactive citizens is hard. But, creating memories and showing them how to use their imaginations is what really matters. Whether you realize it or not, a little bit of imagination and creativity truly inspires the best of visions.
Holidays always mean different things to different people. Whether it is making memories with your family or just taking a day for yourself. The bottom line is that we need to think about the memories we are making and how they are building a future for our families and children. We need to inspire creativity and encourage experiences so that children can learn the lessons they need to move forward in life. We won’t get to relive these moments again.