As the weeks pass, and memories of the trip fade, I wonder, “How important is it for me to go through all those photos and to continue this blog?” Life goes on....I want to move on....I have so many other things to do....
But children love looking at photo albums....and it’s important for their development. While sitting together, looking at photo albums (or travel blogs) “help your kids talk about their experiences,” Dr. Daniel Seigel and Dr. Tina Payne Bryson write in the Whole Brain Child, “so they can integrate their implicit and explicit memories. Studies have clearly shown that the very act of recalling and expressing an event .... can improve immune and heart function, as well as general well-being.”
Integration is important. Our brain has many different jobs (with different parts) and helping these parts work together is the key to thriving. And we don’t want our children just to survive....we want them to thrive. Read the Whole Brain Child for a detailed explanation of integration and how parents can provide those kinds of experiences that will help them raise children with resilient, well-integrated brains.
In the meantime, know that you’re not wasting your time while blogging about memories, posting photos, scrapbooking....creating family movies....technology has given us so many wonderful and FUN ways to practice recalling our memories and integrating our brains!
