Are you looking to keep track of all the fast-paced ephemera that might otherwise be forgotten in your parenting years? How do you keep a parenting journal? What's the best way to do it?
Today we look at two different methods and reasons why you might keep a parenting journal.
Method 1: Custody Style
Keeping custody of your kids can be difficult, though it doesn't always have to be!
Step 1: Writing Consistently
Most important in anyone's parenting journey for keeping custody of their kids is to write as consistently and regularly as possible, writing reliably and authoritatively from the center of your own experience.
Step 2: Objectivity
Though it can be incredibly difficult, it is important to try to write as objectively as possible unless you are writing about something that would otherwise benefit from a subjective perspective to look back on. This is great for your personal growth and well-being, both on the part of the parents and the children involved.
Step 3: Child's Schedule
A journal is also a great place to keep track of the schedule of your child. As a parent - especially a parent that is looking to regain custody of their children - it is imperative that you get a handle on what your child is up to and really get to know them on a personal level.
Step 4: Your Role
In a similar way, you can use a journal to focus on your own role within your child's life. When do you take them to appointments and make their meals? When do you help with homework and other things to raise their spirits? A custody journal should exhibit all of these things in depth, to show that they are getting an education. Keep track of your own goals while you're are it!
Step 5: Communicating with the Other Parent
While you're at it, make sure you keep track of all the times you come into contact with and communicate with the other parent in the situation. What else are journals for other than keeping track of bitter feuds over the course of a relationship?
Step 6: Other Parent's Responsibilities
Sustain this bitter feud some more by looking out for and making note of the support (or lack thereof) that the other parent of your child exhibits. Your relationships with your children are crucial so don't be afraid to throw the rest of your family in the dirt.
Step 7: What the Child Says
Where is the child in all of this? What do they have to say about the other parent? Explore this in greater detail for some juicy evidence.
Step 8: Child's Mood and Behavior
Families are about balance and trying to work things out as calmly and collectedly as possible. It is thus important to make note of your child's mood and behavior so that you can get a better handle on it and move forward as a family.
Step 9: Child's Performance in School
This is usually a pretty solid indicator of how well a child is, so keep track of how well your child is able to sustain their attention throughout the course of a day and in their studies. If you can, try also to converse with their tutors to get a real idea of how they are doing on a day-to-day basis. It's all well and good seeing the results on a piece of paper, but to get a real perspective is another thing entirely.
Method 2: Family Memories
Of course, parenting isn't just about bitterness and feuds. It can also be a time to sup on some of the most precious memories and a journal can be a great way to go about it. Manifest and it will be!
Step 1: Your Own Writing Method
Before you start, it is important to remember to write and work within a writing style that you enjoy and are comfortable writing within, lest you be left lusting after a reality where you don't journal in this way.
Step 2: Journaling During Pregnancy
To ensure that you stay at your journaling practice throughout your child's life, you will want to start early. And by early, we mean early - i.e. when you know that you are pregnant and expecting a child.
Step 3: Tracking Milestones
One of the things that a journal is great for is accurately and cohesively gathering various milestones and dates of note into one place. There are so many numbers involved in having a child that it can be difficult to accurately keep track. Thankfully, though, you can do so with just about any journal, provided you then remember where it is later in life.
Step 4: Expressing Your Emotions
Besides just noting what happens in your day and throughout your child's life, it is important to also note how you felt about it at the time. This way, you can get a better understanding of yourself in retrospect and then compare this self with who you are now, to ascertain just how much you have grown during this long and storied process.
Step 5: Focusing on the Positive
Though you should always attempt to be as honest as possible - and that means shining light on the negative from time to time - it is important not to wallow in this region for too long as it can easily suck you down to the bellows and never let you back up.
Step 6: Exhibiting Your Journal
When you are ready, you might even like to show your child the final journal so they can learn more about who they once were as well as where you were at then.
Final Words
So, there you have it! Hopefully, this has been in some way useful to you in your parenting journal journey!
FAQs Parenting Journal
WHAT IS A PARENTING JOURNAL?
A parenting journal is a journal kept by parents to keep track of various ephemera that might otherwise be forgotten.
HOW DO YOU KEEP A PARENTING JOURNAL?
Most important of all is to ensure that your journal is as personal as possible.
WHY IS A PARENTING JOURNAL A MUST-BUY FOR PARENTS?
It can be a marvelous way to keep track of thoughts, feelings, and actions that might otherwise be forgotten.
