Thanksgiving is a great opportunity to build a tradition for your family! Tradition is the transmitting of values, customs, beliefs, memories and history.
It's the pipe line from the past to the future carrying the rich strands of heritage.
Intentionally building this pipe line into the hearts and minds of children is a great calling.
I read a book once that talked about Jewish culture giving dates and figs to children after a learning opportunity in the villages or homes....to help them remember the important things. What a wise custom, I thought.
Beliefs and values are so abstract for kids and even for adults that having traditions as a vehicle for teaching these beliefs is critical.
When my Mom made us have mustard sardines every Thanksgiving Eve and share the story of her sister and her eating them because they didn't have anything else and sardines were something they had never tasted...it impacted us. It was disgusting. But we never forgot it.
When I make graham cracker rolls with my family and one of the boys remind us that everyone's hands have to be in it...I think of my family. I can't imagine the sacrifice and persistence of my mother to buy the supplies, wrangle six girls to the table and make a huge mess cutting marshmallows and dates with scissors.
Flour covered counters and girls during sugar cookie decorating is another tradition. It was being together and doing something for others. The cookies when to Grandparents, family and older neighbors. As I got older, I couldn't figure out why they want them...they were pretty ugly but now I know that the time meant the world to them.
Potato soup, oyster stew, Christmas caroling, visiting the nursing home and socks in the stockings mingled together to create traditions and memories.
New traditions in our family:
Goal setting before New Year's Eve. Decorating the church soup supper. Candlelight Christmas Eve service. Socks, underwear and books from Santa. Clam chowder and oyster stew. Giving to others.
Here is to taking time to share old traditions and build new ones with your family.
I'm throwing out a few questions just to get you thinking!
What values are the most important to you?
Be specific and think about ways that your children might observe them in you. Helpful. Kind. Generous. Family is important. God is honored. Gifts are to give. Fun. Sacrifice. Unselfishness. Hard work. Church family and community. Thankful. Grateful.
How are you passing them on?
Would the people around us know what our values are?
Do we have traditions from the past that we can fit into our lives now?
Are we contagious with them?
I read a book once that talked about Jewish culture giving dates and figs to children after a learning opportunity in the villages or homes....to help them remember the important things. What a wise custom, I thought.
Beliefs and values are so abstract for kids and even for adults that having traditions as a vehicle for teaching these beliefs is critical.
When my Mom made us have mustard sardines every Thanksgiving Eve and share the story of her sister and her eating them because they didn't have anything else and sardines were something they had never tasted...it impacted us. It was disgusting. But we never forgot it.
When I make graham cracker rolls with my family and one of the boys remind us that everyone's hands have to be in it...I think of my family. I can't imagine the sacrifice and persistence of my mother to buy the supplies, wrangle six girls to the table and make a huge mess cutting marshmallows and dates with scissors.
Flour covered counters and girls during sugar cookie decorating is another tradition. It was being together and doing something for others. The cookies when to Grandparents, family and older neighbors. As I got older, I couldn't figure out why they want them...they were pretty ugly but now I know that the time meant the world to them.
Potato soup, oyster stew, Christmas caroling, visiting the nursing home and socks in the stockings mingled together to create traditions and memories.
New traditions in our family:
Goal setting before New Year's Eve. Decorating the church soup supper. Candlelight Christmas Eve service. Socks, underwear and books from Santa. Clam chowder and oyster stew. Giving to others.
Here is to taking time to share old traditions and build new ones with your family.
I'm throwing out a few questions just to get you thinking!
What values are the most important to you?
Be specific and think about ways that your children might observe them in you. Helpful. Kind. Generous. Family is important. God is honored. Gifts are to give. Fun. Sacrifice. Unselfishness. Hard work. Church family and community. Thankful. Grateful.
How are you passing them on?
Would the people around us know what our values are?
Do we have traditions from the past that we can fit into our lives now?
Are we contagious with them?
Comments
Post a Comment