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Parenting journal
As the parent of a baby, you are witnessing a transformative time for both you and your baby.
Most likely, you now anticipate the needs of another person more and for longer than you ever have before. During anytime of rapid growth or change, psychologists recommend keeping a journal for several reasons, such as creating a place to:
When beginning a parenting journal, one of the most important things to do is determine your audience. If you are writing a journal to figure out what you are doing as a parent (your motivations and/or your goals), then the audience is primarily yourself. It is important to decide if your child is a secondary audience. In other words, is this the type of journal that you would like to give your child as a keepsake when she or he becomes a parent?
Your personality plays a role in your purpose for journaling. If you tend to find personal enrichment through a small group of friends or personal reflection, you would most likely prefer a journal written for your self (and possibly your child in the future). Shop for a special notebook that you can easily carry with you to utilize those moments when you are out waiting somewhere and your baby is sleeping. Consider responding to some of these questions:
If you have a personality type that is energized by interacting with others, journaling is not out of the question as a useful parenting tool for you. You would probably rather keep a list of daily activities rather than answer thought-provoking questions. (Or only answer some of the above questions occasionally.) You might keep a list of who you saw or talked to that day or a daily list of gratitude. Consider setting up a parenting blog that would allow you share and connect with others - try www.twittermoms.com. Check out sites like LiveJournal and Diaryland as examples of places to create online journals/blogs.
Regardless of your personality type, consider keeping a five-year journal. A five-year journal has entry lines for one or two sentences on a page but includes that brief entry space for five years per page. It is powerful to see the changes in you and your child’s growth from year to year. You can find five-year journals at major bookstores both near your home and online. For a free, electronic version, you can set up an Excel spreadsheet with the date, a topic (family, friends, outings, etc.), and entry. The nice thing about an Excel journal is that it is sort able by both date and topic. (Keep it backed up.)
You may find that you are not able to write in your parenting journal as much as you initially hope. Be sure to give yourself room to be a less than perfect ‘journaler’. If you miss a stretch, you could go back and fill in spaces saying, “Jordon, sick for two weeks” or, “So busy I forgot that I even had this thing.” Then just move on. Try not to lose your motivation if your goal of being a good parent keeps you from writing consistently.
If you are anything like me, changes, just as miraculous as your baby’s growth, are occurring for you both inter-personally and socially. Go ahead a try keeping a parenting journal to honor your journey and your baby’s development.
By Anne Oxenreider
- Figure out what you are doing
- Create a private place to share thoughts when no one else is around
- Reduce stress
- Create a keepsake
- Track milestones (your own, your baby’s, or your family’s)
When beginning a parenting journal, one of the most important things to do is determine your audience. If you are writing a journal to figure out what you are doing as a parent (your motivations and/or your goals), then the audience is primarily yourself. It is important to decide if your child is a secondary audience. In other words, is this the type of journal that you would like to give your child as a keepsake when she or he becomes a parent?
Your personality plays a role in your purpose for journaling. If you tend to find personal enrichment through a small group of friends or personal reflection, you would most likely prefer a journal written for your self (and possibly your child in the future). Shop for a special notebook that you can easily carry with you to utilize those moments when you are out waiting somewhere and your baby is sleeping. Consider responding to some of these questions:
- What makes you smile? What makes your child(ren) smile?
- What can you do to take better care of yourself?
- Who do you admire? Why?
- How do you show love to others? How do you like others to show love to you?
- What is your favorite part of the day?
- Write about a favorite childhood toy and what made it special to you. Then write about how you can recreate an experience like that for your child.
- What has your child(ren) done lately that amazes you?
- Make a list of some simple, easy pick-me-ups that can get you through a hard day? (for example, a hum favorite song, chocolate, cleaning out a drawer, etc.)
- Do the exercise found in the Sixty-Second Parent tip “Assessing Your Support Network.”
If you have a personality type that is energized by interacting with others, journaling is not out of the question as a useful parenting tool for you. You would probably rather keep a list of daily activities rather than answer thought-provoking questions. (Or only answer some of the above questions occasionally.) You might keep a list of who you saw or talked to that day or a daily list of gratitude. Consider setting up a parenting blog that would allow you share and connect with others - try www.twittermoms.com. Check out sites like LiveJournal and Diaryland as examples of places to create online journals/blogs.
Regardless of your personality type, consider keeping a five-year journal. A five-year journal has entry lines for one or two sentences on a page but includes that brief entry space for five years per page. It is powerful to see the changes in you and your child’s growth from year to year. You can find five-year journals at major bookstores both near your home and online. For a free, electronic version, you can set up an Excel spreadsheet with the date, a topic (family, friends, outings, etc.), and entry. The nice thing about an Excel journal is that it is sort able by both date and topic. (Keep it backed up.)
You may find that you are not able to write in your parenting journal as much as you initially hope. Be sure to give yourself room to be a less than perfect ‘journaler’. If you miss a stretch, you could go back and fill in spaces saying, “Jordon, sick for two weeks” or, “So busy I forgot that I even had this thing.” Then just move on. Try not to lose your motivation if your goal of being a good parent keeps you from writing consistently.
If you are anything like me, changes, just as miraculous as your baby’s growth, are occurring for you both inter-personally and socially. Go ahead a try keeping a parenting journal to honor your journey and your baby’s development.
By Anne Oxenreider
Related Tips
- Assessing your support network (newborn)
- Ever think "I need help"?
- more
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