Sappy Scrappy Moment.

Post Reply
User avatar
jfugina
Posts: 7480
Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2008 11:30 pm
Location: St. Louis

Sappy Scrappy Moment.

Post by jfugina »

Most of you know that I've been working on setting up a sort of library in a front room of my house (upgrading from a playroom), and while it will be a while before the trim work is done, I've migrated all of my albums in there - every single one from all over the house.

Well, that has sparked a new interest with my kids. I guess the albums were just ubiquitous before - they just kind of existed everywhere and blended in and nobody ever asked to see them. Anyway, two nights ago, I was in the craft room in the basement, and Jake brought down an album from 2007 or so when he was a toddler. The layout it was opened to contained several photos of him making a bunch of different faces. And what I wrote about him was in cursive, which they aren't teaching anymore, so Jake has a hard time reading it. So he brought it to me and asked me to read what I wrote on that page.

It was kind of a love letter addressed directly to his toddler self that was represented in those photos. When I was done reading the whole thing, he set the album down on the floor, and just gave me a huge hug and said "I love you mom". I think it totally got him "in the feels". I've always held out hope that they'd someday be interested in looking back on their life. And while this is likely just a passing phase while the room is new, I'll take that one single moment from Jake as fuel to continue what I'm doing. Because just that one reaction from him, makes it all worth doing.

In other news, all of my journaling is in cursive, and future generations will need a translator specializing in ancient writing techniques to read it!!! Ug.
Julie Fugina
#26 in the order of the PAO
User avatar
Monica
Posts: 11464
Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2008 11:51 pm
Location: crazed....
Contact:

Re: Sappy Scrappy Moment.

Post by Monica »

Awwww. That's so cool, Julie! I tend to use cursive on mine as well. ;) I'm in envy of that bookcase that will properly hold your albums!
No. 28 in the Order of PAO
Chief Bearer of the Torch and Admin
User avatar
pamcook
Posts: 20219
Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2008 11:11 am
Location: Chapel Hill, NC
Contact:

Re: Sappy Scrappy Moment.

Post by pamcook »

It's so worth it.
During our son's "troubled years" I came home one day to find him with friends going through scrapbooks. The pages reminded him - and us - that there was a time when we weren't battling each other every. single. day. and gave us hope we could get there again. Thank goodness we did.
Pam Cook #48
Debbie J

Re: Sappy Scrappy Moment.

Post by Debbie J »

That's a great feeling isn't it? Love that story!
User avatar
jfugina
Posts: 7480
Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2008 11:30 pm
Location: St. Louis

Re: Sappy Scrappy Moment.

Post by jfugina »

pamcook wrote:It's so worth it.
During our son's "troubled years" I came home one day to find him with friends going through scrapbooks. The pages reminded him - and us - that there was a time when we weren't battling each other every. single. day. and gave us hope we could get there again. Thank goodness we did.
Pam - my first motive has always been to do this for me. And when it became clear that my grandmother was suffering some kind of dementia as she got older, it became even more urgent for me to have these books for my own self as I get older.

But a close second motive was to have that documentation for the kids. They don't ever act like they know it, but their life is pretty dang good. These books tell stories of family, friends, good times, holidays, travel - and on occasion random everyday moments. Some day when my kids are going around spewing nonsense about how dreadful their life has been and how awful their parents are, maybe I'll just make them pluck a random album off the shelf and take a look. Granted, I don't document the terrible. But there is a hefty amount of "the good life" in those books that they'll be reminded of.

I would hope that their life never goes through a truly terrible low streak, but it could - and you make a really good point about your son. Even if times are bad, if looking at old photos and stories can lend hope, then that's a great thing.
Julie Fugina
#26 in the order of the PAO
User avatar
jmp1022
Posts: 8143
Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2008 8:23 am

Re: Sappy Scrappy Moment.

Post by jmp1022 »

It sure bothered me when they quit teaching cursive. I was in 3rd grade and had to learn cursive over weekend.

So now my grandkids will learn cursive by their parents teaching them
It is one thing they really need to learn

It is so cool that the kids look at the scrapbooks. You should be so proud
:happywave:
Jill P
# 42 in order PAO
http://jmp1022.blogspot.com/

Northeast Illinois
User avatar
pat-czap
Posts: 3624
Joined: Wed Nov 19, 2008 9:10 am
Location: O-HI-O

Re: Sappy Scrappy Moment.

Post by pat-czap »

Where's the tissue????

What a touching moment for you Julie, and of course Jake!

Thanks for sharing.
Pat from NW OHIO
Midwest, USA
User avatar
jfugina
Posts: 7480
Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2008 11:30 pm
Location: St. Louis

Re: Sappy Scrappy Moment.

Post by jfugina »

pat-czap wrote:Where's the tissue????

What a touching moment for you Julie, and of course Jake!

Thanks for sharing.
I know, right? After the hug, he quietly took the book and went back upstairs, presumably to finish looking through it. But I'm not gonna lie - I had a bit of a moment.
Julie Fugina
#26 in the order of the PAO
User avatar
paddlegal
Posts: 7211
Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2008 3:41 am

Re: Sappy Scrappy Moment.

Post by paddlegal »

pat-czap wrote:Where's the tissue????

What a touching moment for you Julie, and of course Jake!

Thanks for sharing.


OMGosh...no kidding...ditto here also. sniff, sniff...
FARLEY in Sacramento
User avatar
pbp908
Posts: 12259
Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2008 8:42 pm
Contact:

Re: Sappy Scrappy Moment.

Post by pbp908 »

That's why we do it - so someone will know who we were and what our lives were like. I hold no hope that Chris or Jim will ever be interested, but Maddie is, and if one person cares, then that's good enough. And who knows? Maybe someday a historian will be interested in all of this.

Hey, it could happen. :lol:
Pam P.
Number 5 In the Order of PAO



http://www.pamsmeanderingthoughts.blogspot.com
Post Reply