Articles on Family | Topics: family, families, familial
by Harley Phelps
When you create traditions for your family, you are also creating memories to share with each other later in life. Everyone remembers an event differently. When you create a tradition for your family to share later in life and recall those times you will be amazed at how your children viewed the event.
The special events that we look forward to everyday and the habits we endure are threads in the tapestry of our lives that connect us as a family and in a much larger sense with society. A dedicated family has a devotion to one another and grows in strength because of the time they spend together. The way families do activities, celebrations, and holidays become traditions. Traditions are not written down but each family member would be able to tell you what they do to celebrate a particular event. Here are three traditions to look at:
Celebration: The times we celebrate that are special such as, holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries.
Family: These are events unique to the dynamics of the family such as, vacations, weekend get-togethers, special breakfasts/dinners, etc.
Patterned Interactions: Each family has their own bedtime rituals, story times, and events that revolve around day-to-day life.
When families have the strong ties, they usually have traditions in their life. These traditions provide a sense of stability, acceptance, and love that strengthens family intimacy. These are also occasions for families to establish good memories to remember when times get rough. In a very upbeat way, traditions affect the core of the family dynamics and help everyone to feel positive about themselves and others. These emotions become a part of our lives as we continue to carry out the traditions we experienced.
Here are five reasons to celebrate family life with traditions:
Traditions give us an opportunity to communicate with one another in a positive manner. During these times, we can talk about the circumstances, goals, and challenges that we face and problem solve in an environment that is calm and enjoyable.
We can help in becoming familiar with new stages of development or crisis that may occur. Circumstances like learning a new pursuit, taking care of a family member, arranging an event together, or developing a new skill.
| Historical Quote |
Women’s childhood relationships with their fathers are important to them all their lives. Regardless of age or status, women who seem clearest about their goals and most satisfied with their lives and personal and family relationships usually remember that their fathers enjoyed them and were actively interested in their development.
| —Stella Chess (20th century) |
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When there has been a loss or disappointment in the family, traditions are an effective means to come together to heal from the harshness of life. Using this time to recall the good times and tell stories about family events.
Traditions are a great time to verify family values, faith, and what we encounter throughout our lives.
Celebrate the special events in life as a family. Whether your family is large or small – celebrate. It can be as simple as a picnic on the living room floor. It does not matter – make a tradition out of celebrating life.
Traditions help us to connect to our past. They give us a foundation to talk about how things were done by our ancestors. Many memories include sensory things such as taste, the way something feels, sounds, or aromas that enticed us when we were in our youth.
Many families feel disconnected from their nuclear family either due to moving out of the area, separation, or divorce and they do not feel close to the traditions of the past. Even if you cannot be with your whole family, it is important to teach your children about the past, to have a cultural identity and to be connected to earlier generations. As we age, we still desire to share information with those who are younger. By participating in traditions both generations can have their needs met.
Not everyone in the family may want to participate all the time. This is very natural as children grow into adolescence and move through their teenage years. Remember though as much as they may fight it, they will be the first to volunteer information on the events when they are older or brag to their friends (out of your presence of course) of how much fun they had.
As you become familiar with the traditions in your families (or make new ones) take time to understand the strength you will gain from participating in them. Traditions make your family special and provide understanding, stability, intimacy, and gratitude for one another. Start today, by understanding the daily things you do that make your family special. Appreciate that those small things that are done together are really memories being created.
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Please note: All personal opinions expressed in the "How to Create New Traditions with Family" article belong to the contributing author and are not necessarily shared by FamilyBabyKids.com. |
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