When my dear pal Lana was young, her pops would put uplifting Post-its around the house for her. Not only were they hugely helpful after kids weren’t nice at school, but this extremely small gesture continues to make an impact on her life today.
Those little notes of encouragement are now the basis of everything she creates through Lana’s Shop, an oh-so-inspiring, custom illustration boutique.
Her biz motto is even “Nice matters,” and the idea is that something handwritten, kind, and full of love could change someone’s day.
(And, ahem, be inked in their hearts forever!)
Just like Lana still has some of those Post-its hanging in her studio to this day, I, too, have saved penned mementos from back in the day. From every card my mom mailed to me when I was in college (and beyond!), to letters I asked my grandparents to write, to basically *any* encouraging words ever put to paper – yep – still got ‘em.
Wondering how these loving notes could translate for humans who can’t read yet (AKA toddlers), I recently tried an experiment.
While JeeWoo was napping, I drew a heart on five Post-its and placed them around the house. Some were obvious. (Hi, kitchen table + bathroom mirror!). Some were hidden. (Oh hey, tractor scooper and jack-in-the-box lid!)
But here’s what ALL of them had in common:
They were SO fun to hide. And for the first time e-ver, I couldn’t wait for him to wake up.
When Tiny Tornado finally came blowing through, his reaction to the first one was priceless.
“Look! Mom! Valentine! Ohhhh, mom! JeeWoo keep it?”
“Of course,” I said laughing.
“Ohhh,” he said, as he smashed it against his cheek like a new teddy bear. “Mom, love you so much.”
I melted. A paper square with a basic heart that took all of two seconds to make…did THAT.
And as the afternoon progressed, so did the excitement as he discovered his big, little treasures.
He loved it.
I loved watching it.
I totes recommend it.
Hide a Love Note, mama!
This post is part of the Mama Be Present series:
A joy-sparking journey + free community for moms who desire simple yet impactful ways to connect more with their little ones.
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Brit Stueven 