Getting to know Grandma

I am so sorry for your loss. I can imagine how difficult it is to lose your mom, much more the difficulty of thinking about how you can her memories alive. I understand that you want your kid to love and cherish her grandma but perhaps, the most important of it all is that it should start with you.

Your child will have to build on that memory of your mom, but, you already have a lot that you can share with your kid. It will be your turn to introduce grandma, what she loves to do, what she did best in your life and how much she loves when she was still with you. You, remembering the years you were together will guide you on how you can instill her memories into your daughter. As long as you remembers, your child will never ever forget and she will start building a relationship with her grandma in her mind and in her heart.

I am so sorry for your loss. You must have so many feelings about not having your mum around while you are parenting your own daughter. I haven't personally been in your position, but i have heard from others that they have kept memories alive by talking about the person all the time. Celebrating birthdays, keeping photos around the house at her eye-level and just looking for opportunities to talk about her in everyday life eg. 'your grandmother used to love this cookie recipe'. It is so wonderful that you want to keep these memories and moments alive for your daughter.

I'm so sorry for your loss. I can imagine it's really hard to think about your daughter not having memories of her. I think making a personalized photobook is a wonderful idea. You can scan old photos and tell a story about your mother's life up until she got to spend time with your daughter. It may help you with part of the healing process, too.

Another idea would be to create a journal. I have seen journals that are crafted my prompting people who are still with us. But I don't see why you couldn't use a similar journal with your own memories of your mom. You and your daughter (even though she is young) could work side-by-side while you tell and write down stories about your mom. You could also do audio recordings for her to listen to later in life, too.

I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your mom. I am sure that you will miss her in so many ways.

We keep pictures of my dad who passed a few years back around the house, especially on the refrigerator. We post happy, fun prints, not just the more serious family group type. That way, the kids can relate to him more as a real fun-loving person.

If you have a burial spot, take your daughter there occasionally to help keep your mom in her thoughts. Tell stories while you are visiting.

Also, keep the stories going as much as possible along with traditions that your mom held dear. If you have any pieces of jewelry or china, use them and remind your daughter who they came from.

Get out the pictures on your mom's birthday and tell the story behind them. We still celebrate my dad's birthday together as a family even though he has passed. This special day keeps him alive in our hearts.

I am sure that you will acutely feel each holiday with a bit of a hole in your heart, so talking about your mom will help both of you to keep her near.

My condolences on your loss. I am sure that it must be difficult to imagine your daughter growing up without the chance to form a relationship with her grandmother. Wanting to find ways of teaching your daughter about her grandmother is such a lovely idea.

To begin with, I would recommend making sure that there are some photographs of your mom that are visible on a day to day basis. Visual prompts are a great way to build memories and you can take the time every now and again to tell a short anecdote about your mom. We all know how certain fragrances and aromas can trigger memories, so if your mother had a favourite perfume, you can also apply some to some fabric and keep it amongst some treasured keepsakes for when your daughter is a little bit older.

For when your daughter is a bit older, you can think about keeping a journal in which you write down stories about your mother and some of your own memories about growing up and about the short time your daughter did have with her grandmother. You can compile a photo album and put aside some small items that you think your daughter might like to have in the future. We keep others alive in our memories and the stories we tell. By sharing your memories with your daughter, you will in turn keep your mother's memory alive for her.