Parents Are Sharing The Little Things They Do To Make Childhood Magical For Their Kids

It’s kind of wonderful how “magical” and “whimsy” have become buzzwords lately, especially in the parenting space. Everybody wants to make their kids’ childhood special; everyone wants to turn a mundane Monday morning into a core memory; every parent is adding twinkle lights and galaxy projectors and bath bombs to bedtime routines. But sometimes, even for the most whimsy-loving of us, all of that magic can be overwhelming — and for some, it can be even harder to know where to start.

One parent took to Reddit to pretty much ask that exact question: How do you make a child’s life memorable?

In the subreddit /parenting, the original poster (OP) shared that they grew up “in an abusive household” where their needs were never considered, and a kid’s individual personality didn’t exist. They noted that, as a parent now, they are doing their best for their kid but feel they tend to be more on the “strict and practical side of things.” Since they never had a lot of silly moments or items in their house growing up, they don’t naturally think about those things for their own kids.

“I got him every board game I could find because I never had or played any (I actually played my first Monopoly with him). I just saw a funny crocodile blanket and thought to myself, ‘He doesn't have one of those.’ I don't know — I'm spiraling down an overthinking well,” OP wrote. “What stupid, silly thing made your childhood happy and memorable?”

And oh, Reddit absolutely delivered.

It’s so easy to get overwhelmed by the “magic” of childhood — whether you experienced it or not — but sometimes the magic is literally just a parent who plays Uno with you every once in a while or who lets you lick the batter after making boxed brownies.

“QUALITY TIME with you is what makes it magical. Else, you're just throwing money at the child in games and toys shape,” one commenter wrote.

Another replied, writing, “This right here!! My teen LOVED tea parties, baking, painting, watching TV, building stuff — anything that involved us spending time doing stuff together. We always talked to her like an adult. That’s not saying we told her adult problems or held her to adult standards, but you wouldn’t scream at an adult for spilling their milk, you wouldn’t condescend or make fun of an adult if they didn’t understand a concept. We talked to her as though her opinions and thoughts were just as important as ours.”

Commenters also got more specific and shared very small things the parent could do that increase quality time and create a sweet, foundational memory for their son.

“Have special traditions,” one suggested. “I know people do Friday night movies and popcorn (no cell phones) — we do books and Boba tea.”

Another commenter wrote, “This might sound small, but reading to your kid sticks in a really deep way. Not even in a ‘learning to read’ sense, just that quiet time where it’s you and them and a story and nothing else going on.”

“When my daughter was a toddler, we were out walking and she found a marble. A couple of weeks later, she found another marble. I exclaimed, ‘Wow, the marble fairy must really like you!’ After that I would occasionally hide marbles outside. I would then casually tell her that I could swear I saw the marble fairy fly by. So many good memories of searching the yard for marbles. She is too old for fairy searches these days, but that glass vase full of marbles still has a place of pride on her bookshelf,” another shared.

One commenter added, “We made pizza together. I still remember how nice it was that each of us got a quarter of the pizza together to put on our own toppings.”

Above all, Reddit reminded OP that their love is what really matters — simply being there for their son and listening to him and valuing him is magical.

Several comments suggested making their home a safe space and sanctuary for their kid, including his own bedroom. Some gave sweet tips like randomly picking him up early from school, or yelling his name across the house and simply shouting, “I love you!” when he responds.

And one parent gave a caveat about going overboard that many of us trying to parent while still healing probably need to hear: “My kiddo is now 7, and has told me that sometimes my presents for her are ‘too much.’ Example: I bought a lot of Barbie clothes and accessories. I didn’t have a lot growing up, and I overdid it on healing my wound on her. She told me she has enough and is happy with what she has ... I had to do a major reframing in my own head.”

Magic comes in all shapes and sizes, in all traditions and silly little moments. It doesn’t have to be overwhelming or win any prizes for being the silliest thing you can think of. It just has to be full of love... and every good parent has heaps of that.