Put Feelings For Children Into A Letter
“If moms get Mother’s Day and dads get Father’s Day, when is it kid’s day?” my 7-year-old asked recently.
“Every day is kid’s day,” I replied. She then gave me The Look.
Lucky for her, kid’s day is now official.
Camp Fire Boys and Girls has declared Thursday the first ever Absolutely Incredible Kid Day.
On this day, adults across the country are encouraged to deliver caring letters to important children in their lives.
The goal is to communicate to kids in our community, and beyond, that they are important, loved and appreciated.
The letter can be left on a pillow or mailed. It can be scribbled on a napkin and dropped in a lunch box. It can be read over the phone from a parent separated by distance, or read in person over the dinner table.
Camp Fire hopes all adults - parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbors and educators - will participate.
“It’s a simple step that can make a lasting and positive impact on our nation’s youth,” said Dee Cerutti, director of public relations for the Inland Empire Council of Camp Fire.
“In our busy world, we’re setting aside this one day to make time to communicate love and commitment to our children.”
Absolutely Incredible Kid Day began as a brainstorm at the national Camp Fire headquarters in Kansas City, Mo. The idea caught on through the enthusiasm of Camp Fire’s national spokesperson, Kathie Lee Gifford.
The event is to be commemorated annually on the third Thursday of March. Sponsors include the Points of Light Foundation, General Electric and Home Depot.
To get started on your letter-writing, here are some tips from Camp Fire Boys and Girls:
Set aside time in a place where you can be undisturbed for 10 minutes.
Form a mental picture of the child and the things you appreciated about him or her.
Start the letter with a question such as, “Do you know what I like about you?”
Be specific and descriptive. Use humor. Don’t lecture.
Write it by hand, since handwritten letters are more personal.
Don’t worry about the length. A short note is just as meaningful as a lengthy letter.
Wanted … letters from parents
Between Us Publishing is looking for submissions to be included in a book soon to be published, titled, “Dear daughter, dear son.”
Parents are invited to submit letters they have written to their children for consideration in the book.
Submissions may be hand- or type-written, from one to five pages long. Letters should reveal emotions, experiences and life stories; in them, parents should explain how behaviors, choices and attitudes from the past have influenced the present.
Parent-writers chosen for inclusion in the book will be paid as professional authors through royalty payments. Each letter will be published under a pen name.
Send your letter, before April 30, to: Between us Publishing Inc., P.O. Box 903, Enosburg Falls, VT, 05450. Send letters by fax to: (514) 879-8335; or via the Internet to bahl@cam.org.
, DataTimes