I was sitting in the garden with Penny and we were trying to think of something for me to write about this weekend. My first idea was not coming together, perhaps for another day. We were enjoying the sunshine and it reminded me of all the times I spent in the garden with both Ben and Penny when they were little. We did lots of things together, but the most memorable, and one that Penny has also just written about for an autobiographical assignment at Uni, (and that has been accepted for publication in an online magazine called 'Breath & Shadow') was reading to them.
I would put up the two man tent and the three of us would settle down inside on top of old sleeping bags. We would have the doors tied back so that we could see into the garden and so that Conan and Missy, our two cats, could wander in to join us. I would then be given a book to read to them. We read the Animorphs series, we ventured into the World of Crestomanci and we explored and battled with Lyra and Will in His Dark Materials trilogy (Northern Lights, etc). I would read the books over the long 6 weeks of the summer holidays whilst the children lay next to me, engrossed in the stories but able to play on their Game Boys at the same time!
As they grew older Ben spent less time with us and eventually we stopped putting up the tent and I would sit on a sun lounger, Penny would lie on a blanket on the grass next to me and we carried on, just the two of us.
These happy memories are precious to me. We sacrificed quite a lot in order for me to be a SAHM but it was something I was more than happy to do, not just for the children, but also to give myself such wonderful memories.
I felt so warm inside when I read Penny's autobiographical piece on how she has such happy and wonderful memories of this time and that it is so precious to her too. In fact, we obviously got so wrapped up in our stories that we never got to take any photos of us together in the tent. The closest Penny and I could find, after searching the albums all afternoon was this one of the two of them settling down for a night's camping in the garden. As you can see, there are books with them and if the tent is up we would have spent a Storytelling Afternoon together before they went to bed!
I hope you have enjoyed my little tale. For more stories please hop on over to Sian's blog where you will find links to lots more.
19 comments:
Your description is so vivid today, I felt transported into your tent and your backyard. I love that you are to reminisce with your daughter about this fabulous time in their lives.
I love this! It's so beautifully told, so vividly rendered and it takes me back..after I came back from my first Guide Camp, I got into the habit of pitching a little tent in our garden. I would go to the library for a stack of books and then crawl into the tent and read all afternoon. There was something magical about the warm stillness under the canvas. Wonderful.
This is such a lovely story and how wonderful that you and your daughter have the same happy memories. That really is precious.
A lovely story beautifully told Becky x
How very precious that your daughter remembers these times with such fondness.
A beautifully told story - and so wonderful that your daughter thinks those memories precious too. I have very fond memories of reading to my children in the cosiness of our campervan every evening on our holidays and weekend trip. Thank you for reminding me. J x
This is defitely a precious memory! I've always been a reader, but I don't really remember my family reading together.
Oh what a wonderful story Becky and so great that Penny remembers it as precious to. Congrats to her on getting her story of those times published!
Ok, blogger isn't liking my typepad ID so keeping fingers crossed the google one works.
The most precious thing I can think of is spending time with your children, and reading to them. The setting of the tent looking into the garden is something you all will remember forever.
That is such a lovely story Becky, I can just imagine sitting in the tent with you all, listening to the stories x
Oh reading aloud to both kids is something that is definitely precious to me - we read in a wide variety of places but not often in a tent. What a lovely childhood memory - and congratulations to Penny for having a piece accepted too!
This is lovely, Becky....precious memories indeed..I loved reading aloud to my two when they were little!...and you must be really chuffed that Penny has chosen this to write about!
Alison xx
How fabulous that you have already got to see how you have shaped their memories with your lovely activities. Very clear memories from childhood often include being read to for me :) Thanks for sharing and I am glad you did find a related photo for the time period :)
Oh what a blessing to have that time with the two of them and then with just the one. Nothing can be quite so dear to a child as the voice of their mom - especially if she's sharing tales of adventure.
What a heart warming tale. I also felt like I was with you, on a warm afternoon. My children, sadly, are not big readers, but Clara did like being read to.
Rinda
What a lovely story and great memories to have and share :-)
Congrats to Penny for getting her story published x
aww sweet memories x
What beautiful memories
What a lovely cosy feeling to be tucked up with loved ones and a pile of books! Beautifully told ...
Reading with my kids is one of my fondest memories. I loved your story. So many of our precious things are really the memories, not the things.
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