The Highlights of my Childhood

Oh, the weekend! No school for the children, sleeping in, the joy, the togetherness…

One day, we got up late and made pancakes. The girls love helping out in the kitchen. We sat on the couch to read stories.

The girls brought some favorite books, while I picked up a magazine. They had a bit of disappointment on their faces. I said… “Let me tell you a wonderful story, so you can understand why I want to read this magazine to you”.

“Once upon a time there was a family with 3 kids; 2 girls and a boy. They were quite poor and lived in a very poor neighborhood. They usually got clothes once a year on Christmas, and toys once a year on “The Three Kings Day” [January 6]. They usually got the same toy every year, because they were the cheapest. Soon it got boring to play with the same toy. The youngest of the 3 was a creative girl of great imagination and she kept herself entertained.

The older two had lots of interests in common and were adventurous and eager to learn, so they would go “find treasures” at the nearby ravine, located directly behind their home, where the “rich” people would dump their trash.

Oh the things they found and collected! It was so entertaining, interesting, and fun! It was also educational. The biggest treasure they could ever find was a bunch of magazines, it seemed like a new one was thrown out each month. They looked forward to all the activities and to “reading” them. They were in English and they only spoke Spanish, yet, they managed to understand the most they could.

These magazines helped them learn so much and gave them the confidence and desire to learn another language. They eventually did. The brother is the smartest person I know and the sister is your mom.”

‘Highlights for Children’ is the magazine my brother and I found in the trash. We called it “Ick-Lits” because we didn’t know how to pronounce the name.

I am very thankful for the opportunity I had to find those magazines in the trash and for the opportunity to read them to my children, as well as use them as a teaching tool in our homeschooling activities. They love them as much as their uncle and I did and it continues to be a “Highlight” for me.

Founder of the Positive MOM® and creator of the S.T.O.R.Y. System: a blueprint to craft and share powerful stories that will transform your results and help others do the same. Dr. Elayna Fernández is a single mom of 4, an award-winning Storyteller, Story Strategist, and Student of Pain. She’s a bestselling author, internationally acclaimed keynote speaker, and 5x TEDx speaker. She has spoken at the United Nations, received the President’s Volunteer Lifetime Achievement Award, and was selected as one of the Top Impactful Leaders and a Woman of Influence by SUCCESS Magazine. Connect with Elayna at thepositivemom.com/ef and follow @thepositivemom. To receive a gift from Elayna, click HERE.

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