21 Creative Ways to Use a Time Capsule to Connect with Teenagers

You know, I remember asking my mom and dad when I was a teenager, “If life is like this now, what is it going to be like when my children are teenagers?” It was a rhetorical question, one of the many that came from my random thoughts as a teenager. I have always been one of those kids who was told, “you are wise beyond your years.” My parents made it a goal to consistently make sure they were bonding with us in positive ways. When I worked as a counselor in my own private practice, I heard many different life stories from young kids and teenagers. It is vital, to find anything and everything you can to communicate to teenagers about their world, even if it is a time capsule.

This blog is a continuation about who can use a time capsule. These priceless and treasured gifts can also be used by teenagers. During a time of great confusion, a teenager is trying to discover his or her identity. The following is a list of 21 ways to use a teenage time capsule to connect with with adolescence on a deeper level.

1. Write a “Message to the Future” letter to yourself about where you see yourself after you graduate or get married.

2. Use the time capsule as an anonymous container in your youth group, for kids to put questions or comments on slips of paper to leave for staff to read once per week, or have teachers from your teenagers high-school, fill out a letter about predictions of where they see him or her in the future.

3. To put your nostalgic memorabilia in, from childhood, to open years later and reminisce about what life was like during that time in your life.

4. To save love letters from your first boyfriend, to review later when you meet “the one.” What a fun day that may be when you read those old letters from your “first” official boyfriend. A time capsule will help you remember this “first” or milestone moment in your life.

5. Adolescence is an adventure in of itself, of which includes many exciting events that need to be preserved in a profile book of yourself that you can include in your time capsule.

6. For a teenager, giving them the privacy they so desperately want, is connecting with them. Let them develop their independence, as they learn skills of how to make it in life on their own, by encouraging them to keep extra money in their time capsule like a savings bank with emergency money.

7. For a teenager, a time capsule is similar to diaries, journals, or saved emails to yourself. Time capsules can be a place to work out difficult life questions, as you write about your feelings and changing relationships.

8. Connect with your teenager by using the time capsule to teach them about what to hold on to and what to let go. Let them put those emotions on pieces of paper or in a letter, put their old favorite shirt or toy in a time capsule, to bury or put away for years, helping them forget about it and let go.

9. Leave your teenager a letter, in the time capsule, about what life was like when you were a teenager. Then have your teenager open the time capsule with the letter in it and other significant items you saved from his or her life so far.

10. In the time capsule, leave a list of positive words that describe your teenager. Make it look nice on special paper, that maybe he or she will want to frame and hang on the wall.

11. Show you listen to your teenager, and put something significant in the time capsule and then give it to them to open as if a present. For example, put a favorite book, movie, or music, etc in the time capsule.

12. When you feel your daughter is of age to wear make-up, put a set of different colors of eye shadow, lipstick, nail polish, etc in a time capsule and have a special party as she enters adulthood. You could even invite her friends over for a make-up party.

13. Write a love letter to your teenager, and say how proud of them you are. Leave it in their time capsule, telling them when they can open it, for their special surprise.

14. Let your teenager use the time capsule as a place to write out the full story of what happened (during a problem in their life or if he or she made a bad life decision). This helps your teenager get the whole story out, before you react or jump to conclusions.

15. Create a favorite, new, recipe together and save it in their time capsule for years so they have it for when they get married.

16. Keep a souvenir from your fun vacation together, in their time capsule.

17. Take great photos of moments with your teenager, or their friends, and preserve them in a time capsule for years. Then, at their graduation, open the time capsule and reminisce about the “good old days.”

18. Keep a gift or memorabilia from a shared hobby or passion, you have spent time doing with your teenager, in the time capsule. None of us really truly understand what a special time in our lives meant, until it is gone or your teenager has left for college far away.

19. Put the keys to their first car, in the time capsule, then let them open the time capsule when they receive their driver’s license.

20. Make a college survival gift basket kit, with the time capsule holding many significant items from their childhood, you feel he or she would want to preserve and take to college.

21. Make a bucket list to keep in your time capsule, to see what all you have accomplished by the time you open the time capsule.

I hope this list of ideas is just a start for you to connect better with your teenager. A time capsule is a gift that keeps on giving and giving. Pass on your life lessons, and preserve your teenager’s milestone moments in a time capsule. Help your adolescent tell his or her own children what life was like when he or she was a teenager, with the use of a decorative time capsule from http://www.timecapsule.com. For other ideas of what to put in a teenage time capsule, check out http://www.education.com/activity/article/Make_High_School_Time_Capsule/

What is one thing you would put in your teenager’s time capsule? Comment below.

Making Milestone Moments Count,

www.timecapsule.com

The post 21 Creative Ways to Use a Teenage Time Capsule to Build Relationships and Bond appeared first on Time Capsule | Personalized Gifts.

A Continuation of Milestone Moment: The Secret to Preserving Memories (How I Met My Wife). Read the previous blogs in the category called: Meeting the Love of your Life.

My time with my nieces is precious!  I never seem to have enough.  When I am with them, the time flies by and it is over too soon.  This time was a little different though.  I was actually spending 9 days with them, so it seemed like it went slower.  On Sunday morning, they were all getting ready for church, and I decided to check my email.  It had been several days and I really wanted to know if FaithfulGodChaser had sent me an email.  To be honest, I really didn’t expect it.  In my mind, I was thinking about all the reasons that I had given her not to email me.  You see, I had told the truth about my life. . . I told her about being divorced and expected that a “good girl” like her would not be interested in even a friendship with someone like me.  I was shocked when I opened my email . . . There it was.

I had butterflies in my stomach as I opened it up.  What would it say?  Would she be kind?  Would she tell me to go away?  I began to read her email.  I didn’t even realize until later that I was biting my bottom lip with anticipation.  After reading a paragraph, I looked to see if this was a short or a long email . . . To my pleasant surprise, it was huge!  It took me about 30 minutes to finish reading the email.  As I was closing it down, my youngest niece, Sydni, (Spelled, S-Y-D-N-I-With a dot!  You do not forget her dot, or she will not be happy with you!) asked me what I was doing.  I told her that I was reading an email from a girl I just met online.  Even at the age of 4, she understood what this meant and she made sure the whole house knew!  Uncle Mark has a girlfriend! Uncle Mark has a girlfriend!

While my relationship with the girl I now knew as Marcie was far from being a “real relationship” the taunts from the children in the house went on all day.  “Mark and Marcie, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!”  We all know the song.  We have all sung it at one point in our lives.  I must admit, it is a little different when you are a grown man, hearing these childhood taunts.  It had been 6 or 7 years since I had been in any kind of relationship, and it felt good to know that this was even a possibility.

It took me a couple of days to find the time to email her back.  I stayed up late on the last night that I was there in order to send a response.  I needed to think without all the tormenting from my favorite girls in the world.  I carefully answered her questions and posed a few of my own.  This girl seemed to have a lot of things in common with me.  She was not interested in a romantic relationship, and frankly, neither was I.  This was my first attempt after being divorced.  There was still a lot of hurt there.  While emailing with her was fun, it also brought up a lot of hurt and pain.

I drove home in quiet reflection of the email I had received while there.  I thought about who this person is and what she had said.  I knew in my heart that we would be good friends.  I knew that God had brought her into my life for a reason.  I knew that my life would never be the same just because we had talked.  But I didn’t know how true those thoughts really were . . .

It would be interesting to journal about my anxiety levels (as they were very high at this point in our relationship), and watch them fall as I got to know my future wife better. Now that is a journal that would be helpful to read to my future child, to explain what it is like meeting “the one” you will marry eventually. What a fun journal to save in a time capsule. Let’s face it, it can be scary meeting someone we do not know, let alone someone online. Here is a helpful website to help you write your first (milestone moment) email back to that special someone, like I did. Check out these tips at http://www.match.com/magazine/article/8753/Send-A-Standout-Email/.

Have fun getting to know each other. Remember it is important to be friends first. Start your life story of how you met with a journal like this at https://www.etsy.com/listing/130915450/memories-from-the-day-we-met-5-x-7?ref=market. Save this journal in your Wedding Time Capsule, to open up years later (like at your 25th Anniversary) to read again, and cry or laugh together as you reminisce. Save your emails you write back and forth together, as you get to know each other, then read them years later after you get married. What a milestone moment that day will be for you both, as you reminisce and reflect on what life was like the year you first met or emailed each other.

Where did you first meet your spouse? Comment below. We love to hear your stories too.

Making Milestone Moments Count,

www.timecapsule.com

The post Keep your Personal Journals & Save your Emails – Priceless Moments appeared first on Time Capsule | Personalized Gifts.

Ask yourself, what’s most important to pass on to the next generation? Teach values to your children.

– Life lessons
– Teaching to help others
– Strong communication skills
– How to be emotionally strong
– Financial security
– Education
– Values
– Etc.

After being with my niece for a week, I realized she is in the independent stage, as she demands, “I can do it.” It is enlightening seeing a child without any fear. She is a real go-getter, a dare devil, and an observant learning sponge soaking up anything new around her. I realized while playing with my niece, how important it is to subtly drop hints to teach about values, and act as a consistent role model as she wanted to imitate many things I did last week. For example, when the dog got wet she shook, just like the dog. It was funny, but then I realized how much more important it is for my niece to imitate other important values, like family bonding.

My mom, niece (Skylar), and my brother.

Instill a Sense of Family History

Do not get so caught up in instilling values that you forget to enjoy the milestone moments, or memories. Share your family stories. These are what by nature, will share your values as a family too. A great way to do share your stories is by creating a time capsule together as a family. Save mementos and heirlooms in the time capsule. Save memories forever with a time capsule to pass on to future generations.

One Man’s Trash, is Another Man’s Treasure

I grew up learning the value of a dollar. My family shopped at stores like “Goodwill” in order to make ends meet. I am sure some of you can relate. Goodwill is a time capsule store in of itself. You never know what you will find there. To some, an old coffee cup may only be worth $1.00, but to others, it is may be sentimental and priceless, therefore it is treasured for years. My family had a dinner plate which said “You are Special Today.” It was great. My parents brought out the plate when we as kids accomplished something, received good grades, or helped someone else out. We valued this plate and how it made us feel. My parents valued what the plate taught us. It is a plate that will forever be treasured and passed on to our next generation of grand children, through a time capsule.

Passing on values to your children is so important. What do you value? Treasure these values in a time capsule, and make sure they get passed on to future generations. Pass on what makes your family unique. Embrace what life is teaching you now, and pass that on to your future children. Pass on your values you want to teach your own children, in a decorative Baby Time Capsule from http://www.timecapsule.com/product/babystimecapsule/.

What value or treasure would you like to put in a Baby Time Capsule to pass on to your future child? Comment below.

Making Milestone Moments Count,

– Marcie

www.timecapsule.com

Credits: Main photo taken from http://www.pinterest.com/pin/259590365996455168/

The post Teach Values: What you Value, you Treasure appeared first on Time Capsule | Personalized Gifts.