Family Connections: Creating Traditions is Important

The following is the second in a series of columns you will see from Debra Gaetano, the Director of Glencoe Junior Kindergarten and Nursery School on raising children. Family Connections will touch on a number of topics and offer tips for parents.

Submitted by Debra Gaetano, Glencoe Junior Kindergarten and Nursery School.

Welcome back to Family Connections. I was on a brief hiatus to be with my family for Spring Break. We did our annual trip to Florida. This year we tried a few new things. We went fishing in new areas, went for a VERY fast ride on a speedboat, and decided to search out hidden alligator spots. Of course, we also made sure to do some of our favorites – we ate at the Island Cow on Sanibel Island, had yogurt at our favorite yogurt place, and spent time at our “secret hidden” beach! For us, no trip would be complete without these wonderful favorites – they have become tradition for us!

Creating traditions in your home is a wonderful way to make your family unique and special. Of course, there are the traditions that revolve around holidays, which are wonderful and usually passed down from each generation. But there are many other traditions that you can create in your family. Here are just a few examples that you may want to try (but coming up with your own is much more fun!)

Birthday traditions

The Birthday Fairy - at our house the birthday fairy comes every year. When everyone is sleeping, she writes a special birthday message on the bathroom mirror, decorates a chair at the breakfast table, and will even leave a little birthday note.

Celebrate half birthdays with a half a cake, quarter birthdays with a quarter of a cake

Birthday breakfast – the person celebrating the birthday gets to pick whatever (and I mean whatever) for breakfast that day.

Family Only Secrets – these are those little things that your family does that no one else knows about!

Whenever our family drives by a blue house, we say blue horse. I have NO idea how this started or why, but we all laugh and now it is part of who we are.

When you are at a building with elevators, everyone chooses an elevator and stands in front of it to guess which will open first!

On the first day of each new season, have a “21” party. Each season starts on the 21steveryone bring a collection of 21 things they found and share them with the family.

Every day stuff

Have a jar in the kitchen. Throughout the year, each person can drop in a note when something exciting happens. On New Year’s Eve, pull out those notes and relive the highlights of the year.

At the dinner table, everyone gets a chance to share one thing about his or her day.

At bedtime, sit by your child for a few minutes and ask him/her to tell you two great things that happened that day.

There is no better time to learn about gratitude than when they are little!

Freaky Friday – slip a little joke in your child’s lunchbox, teenagers backpack, husbands briefcase, or wife’s purse.

It is always fun to get a laugh and a great way to let someone know you are thinking of them Friday night – pizza and a movie in the family room (under a tent made of sheets of course!)

To create a tradition you have to choose something that brings excitement to your family, joy to your children and that you can repeat often. You can’t go wrong – if you try an idea and it doesn’t work, you are still making great memories. In a world where everyone feels the need to look or be like someone else, let your children know that being unique and special is wonderful. Show them that unique and special starts at home!

And don’t forget the easiest tradition of all – say “I love you” every morning and every night. Those simple words are the best tradition to pass along to your children!

And as always remember - “our goal is not to protect them from the world, but to prepare them for it!”

For questions, comments, or ideas, I can be reached at familyconnections4all@gmail.com

RELATED: Welcome to Family Connections, a Column on Parenting