What are some family traditions you have with your kids?
I love hearing about different traditions in families. Even if they aren't the right fit for my family, it's still fun to learn about the rituals and customs that other parents have turned into a routine with their kids, and sometimes it gives ideas for things that we should try out.
What is a fun family tradition you started with your kids?
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Eating dinner together isn't the most glamorous of family traditions, but we prioritize doing it as much as we possibly can! It's a built-in way to hear about everyone's day and connect as a family, even when we are all busy.
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This is an important one for us, too. As kids get older and schedules get busier it can be difficult to keep up every night, but having the long-established tradition and priority really helps.
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We measure each kid's height on their birthday. Instead of marking directly on the wall, we have a wooden ruler growth chart that we've hung up and can take with us when we move.
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We do family pizza and movie night every Friday, and it is something that we still look forward to after quite a few years. We all take turns being the one who gets to choose a movie. This mostly eliminates arguments about what we are watching.
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We try to make one-on-one time with our kids in the form of parent/child "dates." My husband and I each take one of our kids and plan some special time together. It doesn't have to be complicated...a trip to Starbucks or a simple spa night at home have been big hits!
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Starbucks trips to play Minecraft together was a favorite mother-son date for us!
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We buy one new Christmas ornament each year, and choose it to remind us of something special from that year. Often it's a vacation, but it can also be a move to a new state, a new pet joining the family, or another important event or milestone.
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We have a red "You are special today" plate that we bring out whenever we have something to celebrate, and the special person gets to use it. I love using it not only for birthdays, but also to recognize smaller celebrations: moving up a level on the swim team, getting a part in the school play, losing a tooth, etc.
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Family Halloween costumes! Though we don't do it every year, if the kids' costume preferences allow for it, we look for opportunities to all get involved in the fun. Some years we've planned our family costumes well in advance and others we've DIYed it at last minute, but they always end up being some of our favorite memories (and pictures!) from the year.
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Volunteering as a family. Volunteering in our community was important to my husband and me before we had kids, so we wanted to incorporate into our family life as much as possible. It took a while for us to find local places to volunteer with kids, but once we did, it became a meaningful family tradition. Even during the pandemic, we were able to find ways to volunteer from home, which helped us feel connected to our larger community during an otherwise isolating time. These at-home projects are also great when you have very young kids or it's otherwise difficult to get out to volunteer.
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Breakfast in bed on your birthday is a tradition from my own childhood that I have loved carrying over to our family. Every birthday, the birthday kid/teen/mom/dad gets woken up by the whole family singing "Happy Birthday” and bringing in a tray of their favorite breakfast, along with their birthday gifts. Then we all crowd onto the bed to eat and open gifts. It is the best way to start a special day!
