“A daughter is God’s way of saying, ‘thought you could use a lifelong friend.’” – Unknown
One of my favorite parts of this season of motherhood is curating meaningful moments with my little girl. She’s 4 and if you’re a parent you know, this age is full of wonder, excitement for life and still thinking mom knows all! As a black mother, I believe this time sets the foundation for grounding in confidence, creating appreciation for our culture and setting familial roots that will carry my daughter for a lifetime. I fondly recall this being my mothers mission with me and in true southern fashion, I’m following tradition. From music to art, theater to STEM, life lessons to just plain fun, I’m sharing some ideas that have giving my daughter and I memories for a lifetime!
Family Recipe Exploration-
I’m a firm believer in the phrase, “it starts at home!” For me “it” can be academics, structure, grounding but mostly the rooting in a family legacy that is so important for little ones to feel connected. Pulling out a family recipe is a perfect way to combine all of these important elements. I was gifted a family recipe book at my bridal shower that will be a treasure forever. My moms “rice with love”, a delicious creamy rice dish that is complex yet with a down home feel is a favorite. My aunts banana bread is a perfect fall treat for your tailgate table to your dinner party. My nana’s famous blondies have graced the tables of my birthday parties, bridals showers, baby shower and more. I’ve shared her recipe in this post for you to try! Each recipe tells a story of a relationship and person in our family that I want my daughter to feel connected to and proud of. We love pulling out a fun family recipe to try together, giving that family member a call while doing so and snapping a picture of the result to share!
Self Care As a Birthright-
As busy moms and wives , I believe it’s so important to model self care and love to our little ones. I love to do mini spa days with my little lady to reinforce the idea that rest and relaxation is an essential part of a full life. We start our relaxation days manis and pedis at our favorite nail salon, grab a lunch at a great restaurant and head home for kid friendly face masks! https://www.momjunction.com/articles/how-to-make-a-homemade-face-mask-for-kids_00387970/
I love to add some kid friendly affirmations (try BrightenUPKids on YouTube) to our quiet time at home as well. It’s a true blessing to be able to gift our little one’s appreciation of self love.
Museums, Music, Art, Oh my!
An unexpected discovery in motherhood is how much our communities embrace motherhood and young children. I’ve found so many incredible opportunities (free and low cost included), for my daughter and I through our local library, museums and more. We embrace a homeschool preschool curriculum (follow me @morganboykin for that journey) and have found so many ways to support our academic goals through community activities. Here are a few favorites in our area:
-The McCormick Museum on USCs Campus
-The Museum of York Speciality programming on weekends is so high quality and usually lead by an expert in the field
-The Ronald McNair Life History Center
-EdVenture Bio Lab, Cooking Lab and Tinker Tech
-Charlotte Library Early Literacy Program
-Glady’s Gang Pre-School Art Program
I’d love to hear how you build connectivity to your little lady! Drop a comment below.
Comments
