The Importance of Traditions
Family traditions are powerfully bonding, and the strongest ones are never outgrown.
The teen years are a time to adapt the number and type of traditions.
Join us for a night of sharing ideas along with give-aways, a raffle... and pie!
It’s all about how to keep traditions inclusive and meaningful for years to come.
GEMs of Wisdom from “The Importance of Traditions” presented by the GEM Moms:
The Teen Esteem clip reminds us to make time for one-on-one routines with our kids. These routines become traditions. They are precious times that should be spent without lecturing or interrogating. This is called “non-agenda time.” Sometimes just being side-by-side in silence is okay. Be a good listener! Family dinners are also examples of non-agenda time.
Non-Agenda time earns us the right to be heard. Family traditions are non-agenda time.
Traditions are strengthening, they remind us of belonging, and belonging brings comfort. It is time to be enjoyed.
Traditions are not a time of intervention or “fixing” our loved ones.
We have gotten too busy for each other. According to Talk to Me, the advent of central heating is among many contributing factors... when it is no longer necessary for families to huddle together in one room for warmth around a fire, conversation is replaced with television and screen time, often with everybody in the comfort and privacy of their own bedrooms.
Discomfort such as sick, cold, hungry and tired used to drive people into seeking comfort and companionship. Likewise, boredom used to spark creativity, but now it pushes kids into screen time. Traditions are a great antidote to this disconnect. Even if teens are suspicious or mocking of our traditions, the traditions instill identity which is precisely what teens are striving for...identity and belonging.
Four guiding principles about Traditions: 1) The strongest traditions have a rite of passage element. 2) They cannot be outgrown 3) They involve the kids in decisions and they include their friends as they become older 4) They are adaptable.
A word of caution is to keep expectations reasonable. When things do not go as planned, remain flexible and keep a sense of humor. “It’s either going to be a great day or good story.”
Re-evaluate your number and type of traditions. But don’t spring the conversation on your family. Agree upon a time for a family discussion.
Read Psalm 100 to start your festivities and feasts.
“Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.” 2 Corinthians 2:14