Belle writes:
You do such great theme-atic posts at Milk and Cookies that I wanted to offer an idea for your to research and write about. Also….I need help! (major help!!!).
I’m a full-time nanny for a fabulous little boy who is one. I’ve been watching him since he was born. In a mere 4 weeks I’m moving half way across the country for my husbands new job. We’re excited but I sob everytime I think of leaving this sweet little one who I love so much. His mother and I are friends and I know I’ll see him again…but not for awhile and I’m so sad he won’t remember me. I want to give him a special gift when I leave but can’t seem to find what fits the situation. I love him to pieces! We play in the fountains and I run wild through them with him. We look at all the dogs that come within any distance to us. We kick balls through the park, We eat lots of yummy treats like ice cream and italian ice that his parents would not approve of (ha ha kidding!). We read, we play, we sign…he’s gotten so good at signing! Ok…anyway, what’s a good momento to leave behind? I don’t want to just give a gift that sits on a shelf and can’t be touched or another stuffed animal. Maybe a special book that fits the occasion? Any thoughts, suggestions, tips etc. would be great.
I wish you hadn’t said book, because now I can’t be the genius who comes up with that idea. I think a storybook (especially if it includes stories you’ve read with him) is the perfect idea, and you can write a long sentimental inscription on the inside of the cover to make it even more meaningful. In fact, you can write a modified version of this very letter, telling him all the things you two did together and how much you’ll miss him and how sorry you are that he won’t remember you but that you’ll always remember him. If you have a snapshot of the two of you together, you can glue that to the page next to the inscription. You can read the stories to him before you go, and then his parents can read him the stories, and then he can read them to himself—and, if we may dwell for a moment on a happy fantasy, maybe someday he will read them to his own children. Oh weep!
In fact, I have just such a book myself: it was my book when I was a child, and I’ve read it to my own kids. It’s Richard Scarry’s Best Storybook Ever! (photo from Amazon.com), 288 pages, $11. I suspect I’ll be the grammie who pulls out the disintegrating old-timey book to read to her longsuffering grandchildren.
When my first baby was born, my parents wanted to buy him a sentimental birth gift, and they chose The 20th Century Children’s Book Treasury (photo from Amazon.com), 320 pages, $26. I can’t BELIEVE how many classics and new classics are in this book: Make Way for Ducklings, Madeline, The Snowy Day, Millions of Cats, Guess How Much I Love You, Goodnight Moon, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom—it’s like all the books from my childhood plus all the books from my kids’ childhood. I lovvvvvvvvve it.
James Herriot’s Treasury for Children: Warm and Joyful Animal Tales (photo from Amazon.com), 260 pages, $14. My friend Mairzy, whose family is VERY book-loving, mentioned loving this book, and my mom bought a copy to read to the grandchildren. HUGE HIT WITH EVERYONE.
Everyone else, do you have a good gifty storybook to recommend? Or do you have other ideas for Belle?
I think the collection of stories is an excellent idea. It will last well into childhood and is the type that the child can keep in the family for his own children. You can even glue a picture of the two of you together with the inscription.
When we moved away my daycare provider was heartbroken, sobbing in the driveway heartbroken. You sometimes don’t realize that someone else can be so attached to your child. She made a collage frame of the two years they spent together and we still have it six years later. I’ll admit that the kids don’t remember much but they still enjoy hearing the stories of this woman who loved them so.
Amanda | July 7th, 2010 at 10:16 am
We recently moved away and while I was happily skipping away from my last day at work, I sobbed at my son’s last day of daycare. The provider we had was just amazing (she cried too). I got her an orchid because she used to manage a nursery and I remembered her saying last summer orchids were her favorite. For my son, she did a little picture book collage like you can do on snap fish or where ever. And the other kids also drew pictures. I love having the pictures and it really helped my son the first few weeks to look at those. I think the book thing is a great idea though…but do write in the cover…I love it when people do that.
jen | July 7th, 2010 at 11:37 am
One thing she could do to take the storybook collection up a notch would be to record herself reading the stories aloud and include that with the book and inscription - then she has a way to leave some part of herself with the child, when she goes away.
Amanda | July 7th, 2010 at 1:39 pm
It might be a little old for the age of this child, but I adore this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Dangerous-Book-Boys-Conn-Iggulden/dp/0061243582/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278541578&sr=8-1
Elizabeth | July 7th, 2010 at 8:46 pm
Hi Belle & Kristen! I have a suggestion for Belle…a unique keepsake autograph book titled YESTERDAY…JUST YESTERDAY. Please read on, even though this isn’t something he can cuddle or touch everyday…it is even better than that. It is a book designed to collect his little signature in as he grows up…from the first scribbles as a preschooler, his little kindergarden handwriting….all the way, each year through high school…and then it becomes a graduation gift to him. There is a place to show that it was given by you…and you can place a picture of you with him on a page. It will capture a childhood part of him, his signature, that is a treasure in itself….it is a gift his parents will treasure and remember you by, as well. There is a page for him to sign his ’signature’, as well as a page for hand tracings, drawings, or photos for each year until age 18. When you sign it, saying it was from you, he will forever have your signature, too. Please check this book out at my website: http://www.BlueberryIslandPublishing.com Hope you like it!
Sincerely, Sandie
Sandie | July 8th, 2010 at 2:51 pm
love the ideas!!! definately a picture inside of a book…i hate my voice recorded…..but that is a great idea because he knows my voice and responds to it. im also looking at the link to the signature book. ive never seen that but it sounds great. so maybe the signature book….a great story(ies) book with pic and a video of us reading it…..if i can do it without sobbing…..like i sort of am now!!
Belle | July 10th, 2010 at 1:00 am
Something someone made for my nephew which he LOVED and has looked at repeatedly over the years is a picture book of “John’s Fun Day with Aunt Sally!” (or something similarly titled), and the book is a picture book of his day out with his Aunt, but all the illustrations are photos of him doing the things he loves with his aunt.
So you’d need to get someone to come with you one day you do lots of fun things with the little boy you care for and snap lots of photos of you guys eating ice cream, playing in the fountains, reading stories, etc and then you arrange the photos into a laminated story book for him, and write a cute, engaging narrative for him.
You could even start it with a something like, “In the morning (insert little boys name here) heard a knock at the door. Who could it be?” Then stick photo of you at door and him opening it happily. “It’s Belle! Come for a fun day together!” etc etc, and then the book follows you guys doing all the things you love, and then end it with a photo of you tucking him into bed and saying whatever sweet thing you say to him when he goes to sleep (”Belle tucks (little boy) into bed with a big kiss. ‘Good night, (little boy)! I love you so much even though I can’t see you every day. But let’s agree to meet up in our dreams, okay?’ Little boy snuggled down, etc etc” or whatever). This way it would be a lovely story for him mom or dad to read him at bedtime at night,
This way, he gets a one-of-a-kind story book AND gets to re-live all the fun things he does with you regularly when you’re not there. Doesn’t have to be super-professional or done on Storyboard or whatever. Photos stuck to construction paper and a hand-written narrative would be more than enough.
I’m sure whatever you chose will be wonderful
Susan | July 13th, 2010 at 8:19 am