What was the best mother daughter gifts you remembered in your childhood? For me, what I remember most was the moments I shared together with my mum, rather than the tangible gifts itself.
I remember those times when she brought me out. She took photos and arranged them in one of those old magnetic photo albums. To save those precious memories captured in her photos, I had to safely removed them from those albums to create modern Photobooks and in the process, restore my old photos.
When I grew older, occasionally she would take them out and share stories of what we did or where we went. It was her attempt to pass on to me as a reminder, where I came from. I felt grand when she made me feel special.
As a mother myself, I too want to give my children an adventure they would always recall as a wonderful childhood memory.
This is the first of a series of blog posts that suggests ideas for a mother daughter bucket list. Think for a second, if there was something special you could pass down to your daughter right now, what would it be?
Mother Daughter Gifts to Treasure
There were many fond memories of childhood that warms my heart. My mum had her own list of experiences she wanted to pass on to me. Three that were important to her was teaching me to cook our Kristang Cuisine and to speak the Kristang Language. The other skill passed to me, she taught me how to sew my own dresses and blouses.
Booties 
Christening Robe
You see, these mother daughter gifts were handed down from previous generations. It was my great grandmother who taught my grandmother the skills to sew. She passed down to my mum and I’ve learned them in my childhood growing years from my mum. My own treasured memories of spending time with mum was precious because we did many things together. And I learned core values that has helped me throughout my life.
Creating a Bucket List as a Future Memory
The term bucket list is a list of things you wish to experience in this lifetime. Mum and I never had a list of things to do together. She just knew she wanted to share her joy with me and I loved spending time with her.
As a child, I remember accompanying my mum to the wet markets, at a nearby village, Kampong Chai Chee estate in Singapore. She would let me eat a bowl of wanton mee dumpling noodles all by myself. I was six years old then. Off course I couldn’t finish the whole bowl but that didn’t bother her.
What mattered to her was that I loved wantons and we sat together for hours having the best conversations ever while we ate. Her energy and drive was contagious.
When we went to wet markets, she would order a bowl of mee pok tah fishball noodles, or hainanese chicken rice or my favorite nasi briyani saffron rice cooked with a chicken or lamb curry. That is why I love my food and cook them.
Come to think of it, it was always an adventure going out with mum. Everything she did with me became a significant part of my memories. A tradition I would like to continue with my children.
An Experience of a Lifetime
Mum had an old Kodak Camera where she took photos of where we went. Since restoring my old photos I noticed that all my childhood photos showed a story, a journey of exploration and adventure. And there was a reason why she kept them all in the same magnetic photo album. She wanted me to see what she saw in those moments. That funny mischievous little rascal I was. Let me share a little secret with you, I’m still the same.
As a mother myself, I am sure you will agree with me when I say this. The gifts we share with our children, cannot replace those captured moments when we give our loved freely to those we love. After all, it is in this present moment, you create a future memory. A truly amazing mother daughter gifts to share and to treasure. One she’ll often recall and never forget!
When I first held my little children in my arms, I reflected on what I had wanted to pass down to my children. My core values stood out. What my mum had taught me about being kind and honest. Out into the world I went, with my armor and faith, believing I could make a difference. Respect, honesty, integrity were high on my list of values.
When my children grew older, I realized how they too were here to teach me lessons. And I have learned so much from them. We are connected to something bigger than we can see. During our short time here, we must are not just make a living or be successful in the eyes of the world. I made a life for myself with my choices and actions that brought precious experiences I could be proud of.
Passing the Torch
As a mother, my role is to nurture and guide my children throughout their young life so they can naturally experience life as it was meant to be. Let’s face it, the environment around us is constantly changing and as responsible adults, we must learn to adapt to new surroundings.
If you have a beautiful daughter, what would you like to pass onto her that would be a part of your legacy? Teach her to be strong and brave and to always be true to herself. In this way, she’ll learn to become the best version of herself.
