by Cheryl Butler
The holiday season is probably the most popular time for practicing family traditions. But the rituals we share with our families are important to observe all year long, not just during the holidays.?They don?t have to be extravagant, time consuming, or tied into ethnicity (unless you want them to be).
Traditions can be as simple as reading to your child every night, having a movie and popcorn night every Friday, or discussing things you are grateful for around the dinner table each evening.?Traditions are the glue that keeps a family together.?We all have busy lives, and adding a small tradition here or there can make all the difference in maintaining and strengthening your family bonds.
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Don?t be discouraged, however, if you don?t have many traditions in place just yet.?The beauty is that you can start them any time, any place, and your newfound traditions will still have a positive impact on your entire family regardless of how old they are.?
Here are 6 ideas to get you started in establishing traditions and rituals in your home:?
Tip # 1:?Evaluate What You?re Already Doing
Before you plunge into new finding new rituals, assess what you?re already doing first.? Evaluate things like what you do on each holiday. How do you celebrate your children?s birthdays??Do you celebrate the first or last days of school? ?What about seasonal activities such as visiting the pumpkin patch or tagging a Christmas tree during the holidays, or Easter Egg hunts every Easter Sunday?
As a family, ask how important these things are to you.?For example, in our family of 8 kids, my husband always picks the birthday child up from school early, takes him or her out to lunch and then for an afternoon of doing whatever activity the child chooses?just the two of them.?Our 7-year-old daughter just celebrated her special day by going roller skating and then shopping for accessories and furniture for her doll house.?My husband was a good sport and catered to her every whim and ended up actually enjoying the visit to the doll store because he saw how excited she was.?Successful family rituals and traditions should be fun, frequent, flexible, and simple.?? Make a list of these things you already do on a regular basis and fine-tune the ones that can become regular traditions.
Tip # 2:?Creating Daily Rituals
Traditions do not have to be elaborate and fussy.?There are many things you do daily that, if done consistently, can become cherished rituals that your kids will lovingly pass onto their own children.?
Take bedtime for instance.?Bedtime rituals are now in decline because of the stress so many families face at the end of their busy days. Without regular bedtime structure, it?s difficult to establish rituals. Instead, children are staying up late ? watching television, exchanging instant messages, playing video games, or doing homework ? until they decide they are ready for bed. A lot of young children fall asleep somewhere in the house and are carried to bed by a parent. At that point, a bedtime ritual involving talking about the day, storytelling, or reading is not possible. If this sounds like your family, take steps to slowly re-establish calm bedtime routines.
See also: How Routines Will Simplify Your Life
Sharing dinner together as a family on a regular basis is also becoming more difficult for many households.?If dinner isn?t possible, how about breakfast? A bowl of cereal and hot chocolate is a great way to start your day off on a positive note and connect with one another before all going your separate ways.?If you have a pet, you can create a ritual around their care as well.?
For instance, every day one of our kids takes our two dogs for a walk in the neighborhood before dinner.?As my colleague The Dog Trainer would certainly agree, the two dogs have come to expect this ritual every day, and it?s a great way for both the pets and kids to get some exercise.
See also: Fun Ways to Keep Your Kids Active
Tip #3:?Tradition of the Red Plate
Some of you may have heard of the Red Plate Tradition, and even have it integrated in your family. ?This is something I?ve been doing for the past 10 years now.?
Basically, the idea is that the red plate gets to be used by a member of your family on their special day.?Many gift stores carry an ?official? red plate (check out www.redplatestore.com) or you can use any red plate that you have on hand.
This special plate can be used for the birthday boy or girl, if someone gets a good grade, a promotion at work, winning a baseball game, getting a driver?s license, or whatever accomplishment you want to celebrate.?It's a great way to highlight big events and also makes a wonderful gift for a wedding, a new baby, or a housewarming..
Tip #4:?Birthday Traditions
Birthdays are a great way to establish new traditions.?Besides the tradition of my husband taking each of our kids out for a special 1:1 outing on their birthdays, I also take out the birthday child?s baby and early childhood scrapbooks and photos and display them all throughout the house for a few days around their birthday.?Each birthday child also gets to open one gift before they head off to school and the rest of their gifts after their birthday dinner.?
A friend of mine who is from Germany has a birthday tradition every year for her kids called ?The Breakfast Table? in which they have cake and ice cream for breakfast. In addition, whimsical and fun gifts await the birthday child after school. And when her kids were young, she would send in small toys, such as jacks or matchbox cars, for each of her child?s school friends so they could help celebrate the special occasion as well.
Tip #5:?Food Traditions
Does your family have a signature recipe or meal that you are known for throughout your neighborhood or amongst your relatives??If you enjoy cooking, food is a wonderful way to establish a tasty tradition that can involve the whole family.?We have a recipe for New England clam chowder and homemade clam cakes that has been in our family for over 50 years.?
Every 4th of July we go clamming and then make enough chowder to eat, give to friends, and freeze for the winter.?Strawberry picking or going to an apple orchard every fall is also another way to incorporate a seasonal tradition which can result in homemade strawberry jam or delicious apple pies.?Making homemade cookies and candy to give to teachers or neighbors is another fun tradition that many families do each year. Something as simple as enjoying pancakes each Sunday morning is another easy way to bring your family closer together using food.?
Tip #6:?Establish a Family Motto
A family motto helps to draw a family together. It provides focus and can motivate the family to work on specific goals, as well as lighten the mood when things are not going well.?My husband coined our family motto almost 20 years ago??Every day is good, some are better!? At first I thought he was crazy, but the more I thought about it, the more it resonated.?Not every day is going to be great, but as long as we have one another and can stay positive when times are tough, there will always be a balance.
What are some of your favorite family traditions and rituals??Let me know in Comments or post them on the Mighty Mommy Facebook page. You can also connect with me on Twitter @MightyMommy or e-mail me at mommy@quickanddirtytips.com.
Check back next week for more parenting tips.?Don?t forget to check out my family-friendly boards at Pinterest.com/MightyMommyQDT. Stay connected with your family traditions and until next time?Happy Parenting!
Father and Daughter out to Lunch, Family Eating Breakfast,?Red Plate?and Boy PIcking Apples?images from Shutterstock
Source: http://mightymommy.quickanddirtytips.com/6-ways-to-create-family-traditions.aspx
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