Hi There!
This morning we dropped my husband off at the airport. He’ll be gone for five days at a conference. It may not seem like a long trip to you, or perhaps it does, but the length of time doesn’t matter for a child – they almost always miss their parents. I knew it was going to be hard for my daughter to have him away, so my husband took five minutes to make these magic love notes for her. It’s the perfect tool for me during those moments when she’s really missing her Dad because I can just redirect her by saying something like, “It sounds like it’s the perfect time to go get a magic love note from Daddy!”
We made one note for each day that my husband is gone. Each note has a little saying or instruction for her. Since my daughter has really enjoyed using her watercolors, it was the perfect way to incorporate the painting that she is doing every morning with a special twist.
My husband wrote each note on white paper with a white oil pastel. The first note simply says, “I love you!” Subsequent notes say things like, “Give your brother a hug for me” and “Give Mom a tickle to make her laugh.” The last note says, “After you fall asleep tonight, I’ll be home.” My daughter revealed her first message by painting the whole note with watercolors.
Since she’s not reading yet, I read the note to her, but she was able to recognize her name and the heart. She kept smiling and yelling, “This is so cool!”
She responded to her Daddy’s note by painting a family picture. It’s hanging up on the fridge awaiting my husband’s return! I can’t wait to see what else she paints for him while he is away.
These magic love notes were so simple for my husband to make; he was able to write them in five minutes while in the midst of packing for his trip. The notes are not only a way to count down the days that he is gone, but they are also just between the two of them – now that’s special. 🙂
Your Turn!
What do you do for your kids when someone in the family travels?
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That’s so sweet! It just so happens that my husband is gone a lot too. We’ve done things like make a home video for the kids to watch, or daddy would read stories for them to listen to, etc. They love it even when he’s here!
Thanks for the ideas! My husband had to leave for two weeks when my daughter was first born and, around the same time, Hallmark had come out with recordable books – have you seen those? He found “Goodnight Moon” and she still listens to it three years later!
This is such a great way for her to feel connected to her father even when he’s not physically there. So sweet!
Thanks, Emma 🙂
What an incredibly loving idea! When my husband travels, we “study” where he is–trying to eat similar foods, learn the landmark, etc. . . so when in France and Dad says, “I had a baguette today” . . . the boys go crazy and say, “Dad, we did, too!!!” Would love for you to share this post at Magic Moments: https://happilyevermom.com/2013/11/06/magic-love-notes-secret-messages-kids-parent-away/
Sheila, I love the idea of studying the area that a loved one travels to – we will have to do that next time! Thanks so much for sharing. This post is near and dear to my heart!
These are a great idea for families that have parts of it that are away sometimes. Thank you for sharing and for linking up this week to the Thoughtful Spot Weekly Blog Hop.