MARK MY WORD: PARENTS LOSE TRACK OF CHILDHOOD MEMORIES

Parents used to record their children's childhood in baby books.

Everything from Junior's first words to first haircut were dutifully jotted down in the book. Even childhood illnesses were mentioned at length. Just ask my mom.

But in today's hurry-up world, it's tough to find time to write down all that stuff.

Many of my friends have camcorders to videotape important occasions, provided they remember to recharge the battery.

In the past four years my still camera has been put to good use, capturing snapshots of my daughters' lives. Most, however, end up stuffed in drawers rather than in those nice, neat photo albums.

It's not that my wife and I don't want to organize those memories; it's just that it's tough to make time for such stuff when you're busy with life's little commitments: grocery shopping, doctor visits, dishes, diapers, laundry, car repairs and the like.

I kept a diary on Becca's first year of life. Almost daily, I reported on her every move.

Now, I am keeping a diary on our youngest, 7-month-old Bailey. But there are far fewer entries in her diary.

Sometimes I go weeks before I jot something down. I often think of things I want to write down, but then forget them before I've put pen to paper.

One of the more visible signs of parenthood is the increasing loss of memory brought about by fatigue and the fact that parents have to repeat themselves about a billion times a day.

By the time you have said "stop that" for the thousandth time to your 4-year-old, you have little room left in your consciousness for important thoughts like picking up the clothes at the cleaners.

Besides, memory loss is an important element in preserving parents' sanity.

You really don't want to remember that your child salt and peppered the entire house or had a fit in the middle of the mall.

What you want to remember are those angelic moments when they are sleeping. Of course, you can only take so many pictures of your sleeping children.

An Indiana man has come up with time capsules as a way to preserve baby memories and make some cash.

Baby's Time Capsule has caught on with parents. Favored clothing -- preferably without spit up, toys, gifts, burp cloths and anything else you can imagine can be placed in the time capsule for safekeeping.

One couple inserted a pair of diamond earrings for their daughter to discover on her 21st birthday. That's not a memory; that's an inheritance.

Included with your time capsule are "Letters to the Future," which provides a place for sealed notes from friends and family.

There is also a book outlining what life was like the year the baby was born.

There are places to attach photographs of baby's first room and hometown. Other pages profile a typical day, top TV shows and movies, design and fashion, and parents' predictions for the future.

Last year, the Indiana man sold about 100,000 capsules to memory-collecting parents.

Personally, I wouldn't be surprised if some of these capsules just gathered dust because parents were too busy to fill them, or became glorified toy chests.

Most parents would prefer to stick their kids in a time capsule for a few hours of peace and quiet on the weekends, or jump in the capsule themselves for a moment of solitude.

You can always work on the memories later, after you figure out where you put the baby book.

~Mark Bliss is a staff writer for the Southeast Missourian.