When I saw today's prompt, I didn't think that it would trigger any reflections. I have a couple of big boxes at the back of my closet filled with old diaries, planners, college course cards, love letters, an old mass intention for Axl Rose, and yes, photos of 2-year old me up until the end of the film camera era.


Looking through the box again this afternoon, I saw photos of my younger self with innocent eyes and smiles posing for the camera. I found myself reflecting on my childhood. Looking at the photos I dug deep how I was as a child and how my parents raised me. It got me thinking that if I really thought about what my childhood was all about, it would somehow help me see how I'm influenced by my childhood experiences and why it’s so important to become aware of how they shaped my approach to parenting with my own kids.

Yup! This post, friends, is still connected to yesterday's prompt. So I asked myself, "How did my childhood affect how I raise my children?". With a bunch of photos from my childhood laid out before me, I saw that I had a relatively normal childhood along with thousands of people from my generation.
As a GenX-er (born 1965-1980), my generation has largely rejected the constant hovering or “helicopter” parenting to our kids as compared to the parenting style associated with our baby boomer predecessors (born 1946-1964).

I won't get into specifics on how I was raised though, but I can't tell you how many times I've opened my mouth to say something and heard my parents’ words come out? I feel that I re-created with my children what I experienced with my own parents. Like for example, I remember my dad showering under the rain with us and can still remember how much fun we had. It was an activity that was something really special I share with my siblings and my dad.
There were things my parents forced me into doing something against my will, and it is something I do not want to do to my kids. Like forcing me to study ballet or the piano for years. I also did not have a say in where I wanted to go to school, or did I get to tell my parents that I was really unhappy in that school. And as a result, I've learned to listen to my kids, and encourage them to express how they're feeling and really listen. I want to encourage my kids to be more independent and try new things, and doesn’t shy away from competition.
Based on my childhood and realizing all of these things during my reflection, I came up with a list of things that I want to do when raising my kids: