A while back my wife and I each recalled one of the happiest trips of our childhood.
It might surprise you to know it was not a trip to the circus, an amusement park or Disney World.
The trip we each fondly remembered was a trip to the family attic.
Attics can be dirty, dusty and filled with more stuff than is necessary.
But to a kid, an attic can be a treasure trove of interesting trinkets!
An attic is much like the family museum. It holds parts of your family history and gives our kids a glimpse into how things were in the past.
My wife recalled with fondness her Mom and Dad pulling out old books in the attic that they had saved for the kids someday. She was introduced to her Mom’s collection of Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden books. She also enjoyed comic books from her dad including a collection of Peanuts classics by Charles Schultz
These visits to the attic were made more special for my wife as she spent hours bonding with her father. He showed her hundreds of letters his mother had written to him in college and in the army. That special time allowed her to learn much more about her dad and her grandmother. They also came across his old accordion, which he eventually brought down and played for her! As it turns out her dad is an excellent accordion player!
In my family attic I saw some of the crazy fashions of the fifties and sixties. I also saw newspapers and magazines that had been saved. The headlines were about President Kennedy being shot and astronauts landing on the moon. This encouraged me to want to learn more about that era and some of its historic events. I still remember my sister and I dressing up in our parent’s old clothes and pretending we were characters from another time.
On a dreary winter day, if your kid says “I’m bored” or you are just plain tired of seeing him or her playing video games, texting or watching too much TV, take them on a trip.
Take them to your family attic and share something they can’t get from today’s technology.
Show them some trinkets from real life. They can learn about old 45 records, cassette players and see pictures of you with your crazy 1980’s hair. They can learn about beer can collections and beanie babies. You can introduce them to books and toys you have saved for them. It’s possible they might like Smurfs, California Raisins and your collection of old comic books.
An attic can be a dirty, dusty place, but it can also be a fun trip down memory lane for both you and your children. Be sure to share the joys that are waiting to be uncovered in your attic.
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