Mother Daughter Journal

Talking face to face can be really hard… even at 37 with my friends, let alone my eight-year old. I saw somewhere on Pinterest I think the idea of a mother daughter journal as a more comfortable way to create a dialogue, and a special place that only we share. Needless to say, the expressive writer in me thought this was really awesome. Mother daughter journaling — like a secret diary! — just for us. And by the way, I know we’re calling it mother daughter journaling but you can just as easily do this with your son, with your spouse, with your best friend or with your mother.

Even at this young age, Sarah is facing tough topics like friendships, body confidence, hurt feelings, family dynamics, school stresses, and more. More than adults who can understand our emotions, it’s so important for children to have a safe outlet.

Since I often get a “fine,” or “good” in response to just about everything, I thought this journal could serve as an effective tool… while also providing some stealth reading and writing practice at the same time. Go mom go!

Our Mother daughter journal has become one of my favorite parts of our relationship. This journal is something only we share; we have talked about everything… places we want to travel, a friend who hurt her feelings, our birthday plans, and everything in between.

HERE’S HOW WE DO OUR MOTHER DAUGHTER JOURNAL

Let your little one pick out a journal or decorate a notebook to make it a special moment. Make sure it’s clear that it’s just for the two of you. You want to keep and earn trust.

As for content, the key is balance. When you are sharing a journal with your child, it’s about creating and nurturing the entire relationship, not just diving into the tough stuff. That’s heavy.

Lighten it up by asking fun questions, brainstorming adventures, talking music or movies, or start a story you want her to complete. It’s all about maintaining communication, and nurturing a trusted relationship where she knows she can talk — or write — to you about anything.

Sometimes we write in our mother daughter journal daily, and other times a week can go by. We each take turns and surprise the other by leaving it under our pillow. We are the only ones to write and read; no guest writers or snoopers allowed.

I’m so excited about what we’re creating and can imagine having this special mother daughter journal five and 10 years from now. I can see this being hugely effective for teenagers, and something special to read through again years from now.