© 2024 Rachel L. Shumate | All rights reserved.
Would you like to have an amazing and close relationship with your kiddo? (I’m not sure who wouldn’t…) Maybe the teen years are creeping up and you’re concerned that things will soon get rocky. Or maybe you’re already in the throes of teenage angst and struggling to navigate as a parent. Either way, I have a tool that just might help.
My daughter is in the tween stage, as they call it, and if I know one thing about motherhood, it’s that every chapter brings its own challenges (oh yeah, it’s allllll freaking hard). Do I know how to best parent a tween or teenager? Hardly. But I will always strive to be the best parent I can, and I want her to remember that I am her “safe place.” I also never want my daughter to think she can’t come to me with literally anything.
So, I created a journal to help us keep an open line of communication. (Go figure; you know I love journals!) It’s a pass-between journal in which we write letters and notes to each other, back and forth. It’s a super cute practice that apparently, I didn’t come up with because I discovered that there are others, but since I couldn’t find exactly what I wanted, I initially made ours out of a regular notebook. Then, I decided that I’d like to create my own journal and share this concept with, well… you. And so, we upgraded, and now you can also get a journal of your own right here.
The trouble I had with all the other journals like this, was that they were full of guided questions and activities that I didn’t necessarily want to do. So, the journal I created is all blank, lined pages with a section in the beginning outlining the gist and guidelines of the pass-between practice. However, the thing that sets this journal apart is the QR code in the front. When you scan the code, it will lead you to a page on the website with suggestions for conversation starters and questions that you can use (or not use) for inspiration, or if you get stuck, as well as fun printable activities. I did this so that your journal can be exactly however the heck you like it. You can pick and choose what you want in it, or what activities you want to do. There’s no need to skip over pages or to fill out sections you don’t want to.
The idea behind this journal is beautifully simple: write notes back and forth to each other. Make them silly, sweet, and sometimes serious. The objective is to keep an open line of honest communication in a fun and not so stressful way. (Having face-to-face conversations can sometimes be scary.) So, when something big comes up, your tween/teen can come to you to vent, or maybe even seek advice (gasp…). In fact, my favorite printable that I offer (found via the QR code) is the Character Voucher. It’s a little slip of paper that is probably priceless, and I suggest you print it out and tuck it in the pages of your journal. Then, if you get handed this Character Voucher, it’s a signal to compose yourself and listen to your child with an understanding heart because they’re about to tell you something they’re afraid to. It’s not a get out of jail free card, but it is a reminder to both of you that everyone makes mistakes, and that you can face whatever it is together.
Olivia and I have actually been using a fun mailbox tradition for years. So, when I upgraded our “mail route” with fancy metal mailboxes outside our bedroom doors, she was quite intrigued. It’s been a success so far. She likes the new journal and fancy pens; and I also make sure to still include treats now and then, just for fun. I highly recommend the whole experience.
I hope you check it out! And I wish you strength, mama. xo
PS: The cover design is my own watercolor artwork, and I decided on these words because I tell Olivia all the time that, I love her forever, for always, and no matter what!
🙂
