What do YOU remember from your childhood? Today I’m partnering with Hefty® to celebrate my strong mom and recall 7 Childhood Memories and What I Learned from Them. This is a sponsored post.
Do you ever wonder exactly what your kids will remember from their childhood? I think about it more than I probably should. Every now and again I question my daughter to see exactly what she remembers from last summer or another random time in her life. The answers always surprise me as she seems to remember the oddest details or things that seem minute to me.
The last time that I asked her, she turned the question to me.
“Mom, what do YOU remember from being a kid?”
The question caught me off guard, and it took me a few minutes to answer. She was attentive to my answers, and it was then that I realized that even I had remembered seemingly unimportant details. At that point, I realized that creating a childhood for my kids is all about the things that I would least expect more than the things that I plan. It is even in these moments that kids can learn life lessons.
I learned much of who I am from my mom’s actions and my childhood memories of her. With the upcoming (and quickly approaching!) Mother’s Day holiday, I thought that I would recount 7 of my childhood memories that I have of my mother and what I learned from them.
Childhood visits to the lake– We had a state park lake near our home, and during the summer we would visit to play in the sand and water. These excursions are some of my earliest childhood memories. It was during these fun visits that I learned that we didn’t have to travel far to have fun and make lifelong memories.
Weekly soda stops– My mother rarely purchased soda for us to have in the house, but once a week we would stop at a local store where she would buy me a grape soda. Through this memory, I learned that treats are great in moderation.
Afternoon school pick-ups– My mom was faithful to pick us up from school on time. Looking back, this demonstrated loyalty to commitments.
Summer garden work– Oh, how I disliked working in the summer garden as a kid. My mom would wake us at an early hour so that we could work in the garden before the day became hot. But, I have to admit, I’ve had a steady work ethic since! Summer garden work taught me to start early and work hard to reap results.
Keeping our room clean– My mom expected a neat and tidy room from my sister and me. This has carried over into adulthood where I have turned into a clean homemaker (in spite of having triplets and an older daughter around!).
Reading– My mother cultivated a love of reading for me. She would take us to the library and summer reading programs. She encouraged me to volunteer and then work at the library as a teenager. Even though my time is limited now, I still enjoy reading and am trying to instill this into my own kids, too.
Lunch packing on vacation– As a kid, I wasn’t a fan of lunch packing on trips or at amusement parks. I wanted to go to a restaurant. But lunch packing saved money, even if I didn’t realize it back then. Lunch packing on trips, as well as other monetary restrictions that I noticed from my mom over the years, taught me to be conscious of my spending habits.
My mom has always been a strong mom, a trait that I have picked up along the way. With several small kids running afoot every day, I have to be strong mentally, physically, and have mad cleaning skills! Hefty®, a brand known for celebrating strong moms, is teaming up with John Cena and his mom Carol Cena. They want to honor Ultra Strong moms everywhere to celebrate all that they do.
For all the moms staying up later to tidy the house.
For all the moms who can carry everything in from the car in one trip.
For all the moms on trash duty.
Hefty® is celebrating YOU with a cause (and a brand!) that I can get behind. With four kids in elementary school, we have lots of messes daily. Hefty® Ultra Strong™ trash bags have an ARM & HAMMER™ patented odor neutralizer AND a break resistant grip drawstring. I like that the trash bag doesn’t collapse in the can and that it is resistant to punctures.
Click below to see more of John Cena and the Hefty® Ultra Strong™ Like My Mom Campaign.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hefty®.
I love this post. You really got me thinking about my own memories from childhood! I may have to write something about them for my Birthday post this year. Hefty is a brand that has been around as long as me and that’s saying something lol. A very happy mother’s day to you!
Thank you! This post was a walk down memory lane for sure!
We are a hefty family! Seems like the only one that doesn’t leave us with a mess. My favorite memory as a child is staying with my grandparents. They never were to busy and they lived for adventure. We would go fishing, rent a boat at the state park, and picnics. We loved to roast marshmallows as kids. My grandfather would build a fire in 100 weather just so we could have bonfire s’mores. I would give anything to live out those memories one more day!
Yes, I stayed with one of my grandmothers often. She would do crafts with us and taught me how to cook.
Some of my fond childhood memories was staying with my grandparents. They were always so kind to me and let me do anything I wanted. It was fun that whenever my mom would come to pick me up after a whole summer holiday with them, she would always complain that my grandparents were never so easy-going with her. They use to be quite strict. That used to make me smile because I knew I was always the spoiled granddaughter.
Your post really made me go back in time to almost a half-century ago…
I remember cooking with my great grandma and grandmother and sometimes certain scents trigger memories of being in the kitchen with them. Funny how things trigger those memories of the past. Like vanilla always reminds me of my great grandma’s homemade cakes. What a great post traveling down memory lane.
These area all great memories! I have memories of very specific things in my childhood too. Chores were always the worst but I learned so much from having to do them.