The Importance of Family Traditions
Family traditions are important for children to learn because many of these were carried down through the family for years. These traditions gave their parents a sense of family and good, warm memories and their grandparents a sense of family along with the same secure warm feelings of love. It could be the traditional smell of baking Christmas cookies to the smell of fresh bread in the oven for the family, but it’s very critical to raising your own family to keep these traditions going. The family nucleus has changed so much throughout the years that many times grandparents have divorced or passed on and the family dynamics have changed. Families are also not as large as they were years ago so everyone kind of does their own thing and people don’t get together like they did 50 years ago. Traditions may have changed, but parents can still remember what they love best of all and try to implement those traditions into their own family unit.
Family traditions help the family bond
Traditions are rather ritualistic and it’s something families continue to do over and over. There are reasons families have traditions and the reasons are they bring love to family get-togethers and help the family bond with unconditional love. Traditions also bring a silent spirit that pulls the family together and gives them a sense of unity to encourage people to celebrate generations of family traditions.
In addition, traditions make positive and long-lasting memories for children. Children need warmth and the security of love that comes with these traditions. They actually begin to look forward to them and this creates a strong anchor for family members to stay together and feel like they belong.
All families are different and even those with foster children or a new family that is non-traditional can still find ways to create these rituals so everyone has something to look forward to. It doesn’t matter if you’re not related by blood, loving family traditions can still be created so everyone can flourish both physically and mentally. These traditions can make a lifelong impact on every family member whether they are blood or not.
Traditions create a child’s identity
People don’t realize that family rituals tell kids a story about where they came from and who they really are and also the importance of family. Traditions also build a connection to help kids feel like they belong to something that is unique and very special. Kids that have traditions in their lives are better adjusted and more confident than kids who don’t. They have more self-esteem, suffer fewer behavioral issues and function overall better in their family.
Traditions are not only for holidays
Families should remember to bond all year long and not just on holidays. They need to have daily interactions and traditions with their kids. These daily connection traditions are the littlest routines you do as a family on a daily basis. These reinforce the dynamics of family values. If you ask a child what they remember the most, their answers are family dinners, bedtime stories and watching movies as a family. Great childhood memories last long into their adult years. No family is perfect and there is no perfect family tradition. If you are interested in starting family rituals, all you need is a bit of creativity, a great family history lesson and unconditional love to bring to the table. This could be as easy as making your best chili on a cold night around a roaring fire.
It seems to many people that have lived a few decades that the world keeps changing overnight especially with the rapid change of technology. There is more divorce, blended families, single parents and a lot of tragedy in many families that have severed family units and make us feel like tradition is a thing of the past. Sometimes, it is a family tradition that keeps people together because of distance or anger or other things that have occurred during their childhood.
Most family traditions have roots that are based on necessity and overtime, people feel a twist of nostalgia for days gone by. This can be the new start for ways your family can bond with each other for new rituals and traditions. Families do evolve and change over time, and many of those traditions have become necessities because they take on a different meaning due to the fact that families have to adjust to a new way of communication with their loved ones.
Family dinners whether it be daily, weekly or on holidays often bring new ways of communication between family members. Years ago no one was playing on their phones and not talking to each other, however; look at the previous generations and what you learned growing up even if this is the first generation in this country. It’s easy to say, no devices during our family dinners or holidays and get to know one another again.
The main concept is to develop a healthy and meaningful holiday purpose for all of you to come together and share a great feast, even if you are just having a normal dinner. The holidays in winter only come once a year and at least you hope all your loved ones will attend this feast during the holidays. Some families are more religious and to them, the holidays still remind them to get off the merry go round and have fun interacting with their heritage and their loved ones.
Traditions make more sense if you look at them as a chance to get away from the stress of everyday life and look at your faith and remind yourself what your beliefs really are in regards to your religious faith. Take a moment and reflect on the meaning of this holiday. In addition, remember that you also have that love and faith in your families and that is what you are trying to portray.
Many families have problems finding a balance and this can turn into a bad dream. Blended families with step parents can end up having meltdowns over something minor like when the gifts should be opened. The reason is many emotions are based on family life during tradition, so everyone wants things to be perfect. It doesn’t matter when the gifts are opened, just enjoy each other’s company. It’s not about the gifts all of the time.
Most traditions only happen during the holidays. This is when the emotional connections are made and this is usually during a flare-up that we make these connections. Old feelings come back from childhood, resentments return between siblings and parents, and if some family members have passed at a young age, it can make a sad holiday because these people are terribly missed.
Issues that arise
Don’t hold onto traditions for your own sake because this is where problems start. Re-evaluate what has changed in your extended family and you might have to change some things around to welcome some long lost relatives that have shied away. Being flexible doesn’t hurt anything, it actually makes it better because maybe a family member you haven’t seen in years will be happy that you accommodated them by the change. This is how you can bring your family closer together.
Holidays are definitely a traditional get-together but they are also notorious for bringing out the power tripping and old resentments. If you start stressing out before the holiday comes, think about how important it is to have to go through these mental breakdowns with family members that are going to ruin the event. Be honest when thinking about it and understand what tradition means to you as a mother. Is this really important to you to have a family in chaos?
When an old family tradition causes more problems than it’s worth, it’s time to move on. No one can be bound to traditions and everyone knows about their manners and what is appropriate so if this is not the case, drop it. The main idea is to keep your family happy and healthy, with good memories and the comfort the kids feel from a good holiday get together. Your kids will remember the holiday for the rest of the years so don’t make it ugly for them. Make it a happy one.