As I was thinking about my childhood the other day, I realized most of my fond memories centered around family activities. I remember fun things my sister and I did together, the day my baby brother was born when I was ten years old, and the love and attention we received from our parents.

We moved a lot, and my parents always presented it in a way that made it seem like an adventure rather than a disruption. They were good at helping us realize the truly important things. They had taken care to build strong relationships with us through that love and attention. The love included tenderness, closeness, discipline, and training. The attention included all the things that came by spending time with us – playing games, reading good children’s books together, going for long walks, bonfires and wiener roasts, long talks, etc.

Those were the things I have tried to do for my children as well. Building good family relationships is the most important work of your life. Make sure your kids will have good memories to look back on like I do.

good children's books