before we say goodnight

Over the summer, I read a sweet book that a former client of mine published called “Before We Say Goodnight”– How to tell bedtime stories about your life and your family”, by Hank Frazee. It serves as a great reminder that the stories that our kids love to hear most are stories about us. My boys love when I tell them things I did that are similar to what they are doing, funny things my sisters and I did, or how my husband and his brothers got into trouble.  I have spent many nights racking my brain to come up with a new story idea unrelated to what I know best and having the story fall flat.

Tonight when I put the boys to bed, I decided to tell them the story of a little girl and a little boy who grew up in the same neighborhood, went to the same grade school, shared the same bus stop… etc. They kept asking, “What was her name? What was his name?” and I told them I would tell them in a bit. As the story continued, I finally told them their names. They couldn’t believe it was about me and their dad! I realized that we had never told them how we met, how we were friends, how we became more than friends, how we got married… they loved it. And it was such an easy story to tell.

So, a quick shout out to Hank Frazee who was smart enough to remind me that some of the best stories we can share are the ones that tell our stories, that help our kids stay connected to long-distance aunts and uncles, close to grandparents near and far, and remind us how important it is to pass on a little of our legacy.