‘Tis the Season for Traditions

An important part of family life, as well as school life, is that of traditions. And while you might think of traditions as being those larger things that happen around specific events or celebrations like December holidays, they can also be smaller things that your family prioritizes and happen on a regular basis. Big or small, traditions are important to children and family life by helping to teach important life lessons, including:

• Reinforcing values: Traditions can help reinforce values that are important to you and your family. 
• Creating lasting memories: Traditions create memories that last a lifetime. 
• Providing a sense of identity and belonging: Traditions help kids feel like they have a sense of identity and that they belong to a group. 
• Connecting people to their history: Traditions can help people connect to their family lineage and history. 
• Providing a way to bond: Traditions can be a way to bond with family and friends. 
• Providing consistency: Traditions can provide consistency and continuity, which is beneficial for children. 

In our family, daily meals were and still are an important tradition. Because we prioritized family meal time, we were intentional about after school activities. Each girl could participate in one activity at a time so that we were home for dinner most nights, and had plenty of time to enjoy together as a family on the weekend. My younger daughter started with volleyball but when it came time for club ball, we told her no. She could continue with the school team, or choose something else. She chose to quit volleyball and started dancing. She danced through high school and while she insists she could have secured a volleyball scholarship if she had continued, we don’t regret our decision. Those meal times are where we debriefed on our respective days, discussed current events, checked in school and work and played games. It’s where we talked, laughed, debated and discussed. It’s where we taught manners and how to make small talk. So much life happens around our table. With both girls in college, our meal times together are infrequent, but still important.

Big or small, traditions are what help bond groups together and create lasting memories. As we enter the new year, take time to evaluate your family traditions. It’s never too late to start a new tradition!

What are some of your family's favorite traditions?