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Flourishing Families Practice Rituals

 Practicing family rituals help children thrive, even before the pandemic.  But they need it now more than ever, since they don't get the peer interaction that they used to have.  To make up for this deficit, they need strong family bonds that bring security and identity. 

Rituals Defined: A family ritual is a set of behaviors that is repeated and that is symbolically meaningful. Family rituals provide families with a sense of identity and belonging. Family rituals also provide a sense of continuity across generations. In other words, they are a way of transmitting family values, history and culture from one generation to the next. 

Family Rituals: Why They’re Important

https://raisingchildren.net.au/grown-ups/family-life/routines-rituals-relationships/family-rituals

Family rituals like meals, cultural festivals, activities, and kisses, winks or handshakes give you and your children a sense of security, identity and belonging. That’s because they’re special things that you do together and they have special meaning for you. They create shared memories, and build family relationships and bonds.

Rituals can also help comfort children in unfamiliar circumstances. For example, if your child loves listening to you read a bedtime story before lights go out, this ritual will help him settle to sleep when he’s in a different place.

Rituals help children feel that the world is a safe and predictable place. They can be anchors that help your children feel safe in uncertain or changing times like during a family separation, or when you’re moving house, or after a traumatic event like a bushfire or flood.

Rituals can strengthen family values and help pass these values on to your children. For example, something as simple as Sunday night dinner together every week says that you value spending time with each other.

Many have said there are differences between a Tradition and Ritual.  It is potato/potato (think Louie Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald).  When talking about family rituals/traditions, they're interchangeable.

Here are 60+ Family Traditions You Can Practice

Think about what family rituals you practice or would like to practice. Consider these categories:  (These are some my family's past or present rituals)

Daily-- Good morning/night hugs and kisses

Weekly-- Friday night family movie

Monthly-- Saturday outdoor day (hike, beach, bike ride...)

Annually/Seasonally--  Fall apple picking and pumpkin patching day

Relationship Building--  Sunday afternoon call to grandparents

Service--  Coastal Cleanup Day in September

Holiday/Personal Celebrations--  Put up our family's "Happy Birthday" sign for everyone's birthday week.

Food Ritual-- Sunday morning carb overload (pancakes, waffles or baked treats), rainy days popcorn

PRACTICE

What are some of the traditions or routines did your family have when you were growing up?

Which ones do you want to incorporate?

What rituals are you already doing?

What rituals would you like to begin in your family?

What can you do to get started?

 

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