Building a time capsule with total honesty

As a kid, I loved the idea of ​​a time capsule.She used to grab an action figure Pog I don’t want anymore Bury it in a box marked “Do not open”. 20 years,imagine A futuristic earthling in a silver space suit confused about what Meaning of strange artifacts. i forgot where i put it the mallof course.

Now that I am old, I lost my passion for time capsules. The idea is solid, but what you put in there isn’t.Whether it’s an “official” time capsule like buried in Paul Revere and Sam Adamsor have a “family time capsule” A Cultural Moment in Parenting Clausethe expectations they secretly feel Inclusion is always followed by disappointment in its content. Fill his time capsule with a curated selection of delightful keepsakes, including baby shoes, old coins, and travel photos.—to do our best myself to the future.A time capsule is not history They are hagiographies — selfish, boring, and nonsensical. But it doesn’t have to be.

Building a Better Time Capsule with Radical Honesty

If you are a decent parent, I present carefully-An edited version of yourself for your children.worldI cry in the shower, not when I drive to school. If I were to honestly tell my descendants how lost I am and how I spread my wings every day, it would be something like this. That’s horrible.

But when kids grow up, they don’t want whitewashed versions of mom and dad.TI want some dirt. They want to think of their parents as real people, faults, and all, as a way of understanding why things worked out.

What to put in an honest time capsule

Ann An honest time capsule should only contain secret mementos.Hildren, spouse, other loved ones. Of course, the details will depend on your own personal failings, but here are some ideas to get you started.

• A cockroach that commemorates smoking marijuana as often as possible to survive childhood
• Actual high school grades, including D’s and F’s, and all disciplinary notices
• A list of people you really hated and why
• Copies of prescription medications you take for depression, anxiety, or other symptoms
• Various unpaid bills and moving out notices
• Dating agency notes
• what the explanation For real Happened to the puppy who bit the kid next door (no, he wasn’t taken to a farm upstate)
• A note describing your child’s friend you secretly disliked
• Copy of “novel” written in 10th grade
• love letter to partner who was before spouse
• Make a list of frozen chicken nuggets and yogurt instead of your great-grandmother’s ham recipe you tried once at Christmas. actually fed your child every day
• Blame Photos From Your Youth Party
• Bankruptcy affairs and arrest history
• A handwritten note from a friend or relative asking you to honestly evaluate your personality (Under no circumstances should you read these notes yourself)
• Favorite final revelation if you have multiple kids

where to bury an honest time capsule

You can shove a “regular” family time capsule in the back of the closet because no one will open it until Mom forces it, but an honest time capsule requires extreme caution. If you do it right, early exposure can lead to psychological trauma, blackmail, or arrest. Hide it in a place where no one can see it until you die. Maybe a box that says “Tax Return Receipt” or a box with notes from a novel I wrote in 10th grade.

When to open the honest time capsule

This is very important. Don’t open an honest time capsule until you die. No need to explain.However, you must ensure that there is a note inside explaining that this material should be passed on to future generations.Imagine if you knew everything about your great grandma A closely guarded secret. W.What’s more fun than ham recipes and bronze baby shoes?