Moms Talk: What We Pass On To Our Children

Each week the Mentor Patch Moms Council answers a question on parenthood posed to them by readers or another member of council.

This week's question: What pastime, movie, TV show, toy or other memento from your childhood did you enjoy passing on to your kids?

(This question was precipitated by Mentor Patch Local Editor Jason Lea seeing The Muppets with his younger sister.)

Mary Jo Stack:

I can be a little over indulgent about Christmas. I love Christmas movies, specials and music. I hope I haven't made my children dislike all the hoopla.
 
When they were younger we always enjoyed the Bass-Rankin specials together. We also held a Cousins Cookie and Craft Day when they were young.
 
We still decorate the tree together and the train and village under the tree. I have shared with them the special time it was for me growing up with my dad's train and village. My son now has my one of my dad's trains and some of his village pieces. This will be extra special for us this year since we lost my dad in February.

Glad to add that my daughter asked for supplies last night to make cards. I have been making my own Christmas cards for years and looks like she wants to start doing the same.

Devone Lansing:

My very favorite thing to do with them is listen to "The Sounds of Christmas," which was a Disney album (an actual record album) I had when I was little. I listened to it constantly throughout the month of December when I was a child.

I lost the record (which would've done me no good anyway, since no one owns a record player anymore) but last year my husband found all of the songs for me and downloaded them into my iTunes. Now I feel just like a little kid again when I listen to them with my kids!

Melanie Majikas:

Unfortunately, my girls are now at an age when anything I did as a child was "old" and therefore not something they would want to do. When my older daughter was younger, however, she enjoyed playing with American Girl-style dolls.

I was so pleased to give her a treasured doll from my childhood to play with--one that looks exactly like her, ironically. And I also got them interested in Playmobil, which was a special toy when I was young.

Donna Milnes:

Cookie baking with the kids was turned into a tradition at our house. We set a date for the girls to make “their” cookies.

We rolled up our sleeves and floured the table, set out all the sprinkles and food color and the most important part – turn on the Christmas music and sing at the top of your lungs.

Broken cookies are up for grabs to be eaten right out of the oven (burnt cookies too). We laugh and sing and dance around the kitchen to Elvis, The Muppets, Alvin and the Chipmunks and even New Kids on the Block (yes they had a Christmas CD).

The house smells wonderful and the laughter is genuinely in the spirit of the holidays. We have started doing this with the grandkids and the laughter continues for the next generation.