Making Magical Family Memories

Jena Muhr discusses a time when her older children made a special and lasting memory with their dad. 

As a mom, I enjoy savoring the moments with my kids and making all the memories with them that I can. Those ritual moments of doing the weekly spelling lists and scaring away the monsters in the closet at night seem to never end and come again too soon. There are also the moments that come around daily that never seem to end: the finding of shoes in the morning, picking up toys left out at the end of the day, and tidying up after each activity.   

There are the quiet moments which seem to end all too quickly and are some of my favorite easily-made moments: reading books together and cuddling in front of the fire on a chilly night.  

Special Moments and Special Memories  

And then there are the special moments. These are the ones that no one likes to miss. They’re special because they don’t happen every day, and they make magic and memories that will last longer than the other moments put together — the memories that they will talk about when they get older.   

These are the moments like seeing the kids realize that Santa has come on Christmas morning and watching them gaze at their birthday cake when everyone sings to them. These moments my husband and I have always shared together with our children. This weekend I learned about how these moments don’t always need to include me, in the best possible way.   

A Backyard Campout with Dad  

This weekend my husband decided to be super cool and grant our three oldest kids’ wish to camp out in the backyard. We live in Southern California, which makes this possible at the end of November. But it was still cold out (for us), in the high 40s but manageable with enough blankets. I was, thankfully, going to sleep inside with our 4-month-old baby.   

All day long the kids excitedly set things up, putting their slippers, beanies, and robes in the tent to prepare for their adventure in the backyard. After dinner, my husband set up the fire pit while I put the baby to sleep and then I joined them for cookies, stargazing and telling stories by the fire.   

As I watched my babies head to the tent and I headed inside for a warm night of sleep, I was so proud of them for braving the cold and promised each one five dollars if they made it past 10 PM.   

To my great surprise, the baby didn’t wake up until 5 AM, and when I made my way downstairs to check on everyone, I found all four of them camped out in the family room. The kids were on the floor, still in their sleeping bags, and my husband was snoring on the couch. Watching them for a quiet moment, I was overcome with love for them and the special night they had had.   

When they awoke, the kids were full of boasts about how they had slept outside until 2 AM! And that it was “the best night ever!” I wasn’t a major part of the event, but seeing their excitement and thrill of the campout made me feel so blessed to have created these amazing children with my husband. I am very blessed.  

I know that there will be many more of these events and memories that come in their lives that I am not a large part of, and that is OK. It’s not always about me being the center of the event. Instead, it is about them growing and making moments and memories that will last their lives.  

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Copyright 2025 Jena Muhr
Images: Canva