Our everyday life is their childhood: family rituals with a heart

This Advent (2018) we at Kleine Prints put thematically under the motto "Create memories". This not only goes wonderfully with our products, such as the one Photo book, but is also a topic that is automatically there when you have children. Because, and there the cheesy saying speaks the truth again: Our everyday life is your childhood! What is normal everyday madness for us has a lasting impact on what our children will later carry with them as childhood memories forever (and hopefully very dearly loved in their hearts!). So it makes sense from time to time to consciously think about how childhood should feel for our children later in their memories. As always with Kleine Prints, perfectionism can stay outside the door. (He can sweep up the last of autumn leaves if he needs a task!) We are definitely not interested in calling you to stage a seemingly "perfect" childhood. That doesn't work anyway. But sometimes a little pause and reflection can be very helpful. That's why we have our founder Eva Malawska asked to tell a little about the little rituals that she consciously lives with her boyfriend Nils and daughter Lotta for inspiration:

Family rituals: the classic

For many families it is a matter of course, but also not for a surprising number: The evening bed-bringing ritual. Lotta "of course" gets something read out every evening and then cuddles up. It will be the same for most of you, because it is simply beautiful and part of life with a child. For everyone who has not yet been so enthusiastic about reading aloud, there is here are a few good suggestions.

Mother-daughter time in the afternoon

Especially in spring and summer, Lotta and I have a common ritual that I always enjoy very much. If the weather is particularly nice or if I just feel like it, I pick them up earlier from the day care center or after-school care and we go out to eat ice cream or splash around in the paddling pool here in Hamburg's city park. It doesn't always have to be the big things. Just consciously spend time together - I think that is what will be remembered most and in the heart!

Cozy movie evening

For some time now, we've been watching a nice children's film with Lotta every Friday evening around 5:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m. I'm on the subject Media consumption already attentive and don't think that Lotta, at 6 years old, has to sit in front of the telly or the tablet all the time. But our film evening together, where we make ourselves really comfortable, turned out to be a great family ritual! We then consciously and not only watch beautiful films such as "Paddington the Bear", "The Little Ghost" or now in the Advent season also very classic Christmas fairy tales. Sooo cozy. I really hope that Lotta will remember it positively.

Christmas tree decorations family collection

Last year we had our own Christmas tree at home for the first time (because otherwise we were always with the family, also a tradition ...). At the same time, I thought that each of the three of us should now get a special Christmas tree ball or other tree decorations every year for St. So over the years a really nice family collection of Christmas tree decorations comes together! Maybe in 10 or 20 years we will think back to the year we got it for every part.

Wonderful trips

As one or the other may have noticed, we love traveling very much, nothing about that has changed since Lotta's birth. I also somehow see it as a family tradition to show Lotta the many facets of the world. We have already been to Bali and Singapore with her, in Morocco, Portugal and of course on our adventurous Road trip through Europe. Every year on Ascension Day we go to Nørre Vorupør in Denmark with friends, which is also our own little tradition. Our next big goal is Mauritius. Another small family tradition is that each of us parents goes on vacation alone with Lotta once a year. Then I usually drive to Vienna with her my sister Maggie and her family; Nils likes to go to his father or Legoland or something similar with Lotta. Lotta is now slowly reaching the age from which you will really have a lot of memories later and I hope she will think back to our many trips as fondly as I do!

South Tyrol after Christmas

Every year after Christmas we go to South Tyrol with Lotta, relax and romp in the snow afterwards busy Christmas sales and family holidays. In 2018 it will be the fourth time that we will go there and I think that this little tradition may one day be a formative memory. Otherwise we always go on vacation to new places, but South Tyrol seems to be a constant that all three of us love. As I said, I don't think they have to be big, constructed rituals at all - but it's nice to have some special experiences that are fun for the whole family regularly and over many years in life.

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Photo credit: All pictures are from Eva Malawska / Team Kleine Prints and Nils Elsner