6 Bucket List Items to Do with Your Adult Children
In the blink of an eye your babies are out of diapers and heading down their own life path. Suddenly, the long sleepless nights, the football and ballet practices, and the high school graduations are behind you and the tiny people you’ve raised are out on their own. Though these quiet moments are the ones you’ve been waiting for, you realize your own life is also flying by, and you begin to wonder if you’ve left your children with enough memories. Have you shown them everything you wanted them to see? Have you taught them all they need to know ?
If you don’t have a bucket list of items of things to do with your adult children, it’s not too late to start!
6 Bucket List Items to Do with Your Adult Children
- Show them your childhood home.
Nothing shapes us into the people we are more than our very beginning. Show your child where your roots were laid. Take a picnic and ask the current owners if you can borrow a square of their yard for the afternoon. Point out trees you’ve climbed, tell stories of your youth. Drive through the town to see what has changed, and what hasn’t. Allow your child to listen to tales of your childhood, stories of your first love, your favorite restaurant; you’ll enjoy the reminiscing too!
- Teach them something you know well.
Perhaps you play piano, are a fabulous woodworker, or know how to knit. Pass those skills on. Take an afternoon over a cup of tea and share your skill with your children. They’ll enjoy learning about something you’ve spent time mastering. And you may be surprised by how appreciative they are of your thinking of them!
- Share with them something you know, that they thought you didn’t.
Every kid thinks they’ve pulled one over on their parents at some point. Now that they have grown, let them in on the secret. You knew a lot more than they thought you did. Tell them about the time you knew they were sneaking in past curfew, or breaking some other rule of the house. Share with them a story of your own youth too!
- Write them a letter.
If time is fleeting, there is no time like the present to write a letter to your children. Tell them all the things that are difficult to put into words, explain your feelings, hash out your dreams, share with them what is in your heart. You can give it to them now, or save it for later. The important thing is taking the time while you still have it to share your messages and love.
- Take a family portrait.
It is so fun for future generations to look back on old family photos and talk about long, lost relatives. Sharing stories over a yellowing photo album is a great way to connect with your children. Better yet, add to the collection. Make time to take a great family photo together.
- Do something epic that you’ve always wanted to do.
Maybe it’s snorkeling in the tropics or visiting the Grand Canyon. Maybe it’s writing a novel or building a dresser. Whatever it is that’s been on your personal bucket list, invite your child along on the adventure. Making memories doesn’t have to stop when your children become adults!
Leaving your children (and grandchildren) with memories and life lessons is, perhaps, the greatest legacy that you can leave. All of that wisdom and life experience will live on and exemplify itself in your family, and one day, they can pass those same lessons on to their own children.
