A Very Special Gift
by Clara Stevenson, Author

CHRISTMAS IS COMING! It’s such a busy time of the year for all of us. There is so much to do as the days seem to fly by and we’re caught up in the excitement of the holiday. It isn’t easy to find that perfect gift which will stand out among everything under the tree. If you have a child for whom you are trying to choose that one perfect gift, it is sometimes especially difficult because perhaps you think your little girl or boy already has everything. Wrong! There is something I’m sure your child doesn’t have which only you can give: a book. But not just any book - a very special book.

A few years ago I wanted a book for my great-grandchildren. That wish happened to coincide with my trip to the animal shelter to pick out a cat and I decided to write a book for them based on that experience. As we get older, we all have many experiences we would like to share with our children and much advice we would like to give them. I put these things in books.

A few weeks ago, I celebrated with my sister her ninetieth birthday. I was faced with the question of what to give her as a gift. It’s not easy to find that perfect gift for someone ninety years old but I found it. Several years ago I asked her to write down the story of her life and her memories from our childhood and beyond.  When she gave her handwritten copy to me, I typed it and saved it among my family papers. So, for her birthday, I gave a copy to her. Her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren were at the party and as she read the stories of her life that day, it brought back memories to her, many of which she had long forgotten. That "book" was the hit of the party for her, her children and grandchildren.

As a parent, you have something very special that you, and only you, can give to your son or daughter - their own story and just how special they are. This year, why not take time out from your busy schedule to begin a new "family tradition" that will stand out above all others. Sit down with your child and together write the story of that child’s life - the big events as well as the little events that will add up to big events as the years go by. To help you get started, make an outline that covers all the things you want to write about. From birth, to choosing a name, to present day. Draw your own pictures to illustrate it or use photographs. Type it, print it out, or take it to a print shop to have it printed. Put each page in a plastic sleeve to preserve it and put a cover on them. Then keep it handy to read together. It will become one of your child’s (and your) greatest treasures.

Years from now when all the other toys from childhood are long gone and forgotten (except perhaps for a tattered and torn teddy bear), your child can hold his book in his hands and tell his or her children, "I remember when I sat down with my parents and we wrote this book together. It’s all about me."

Some of the best stories begin with I REMEMBER WHEN....

About Clara Stevenson
Clara Stevenson, author, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, lives in Woodstown, NJ. She is a graduate of Peirce Business School in Philadelphia, PA and worked for many years in the business world. Her own dream, long-deferred, was to write. Now, in her retirement, she has written several novels as well as children’s picture books. Clara’s books are beautifully illustrated by several talented artists. For more information, please visit www.ClaraStevenson.com.