Week 4: Family Traditions
You know those things your family does without ever really being spoken? Yeah? Well those would be family traditions. Every family has different traditions that make up their family culture. These traditions can be a certain way a family does something or a certain belief that is passed down from parents to children and onto the next generations.
Not only do these traditions vary from family to family, but also from culture to culture. In China, although it is a law, there is the tradition that each family only has two children at the most. The children are to respect and obey their elders. In Mexico, there is the tradition where families celebrate the lives of their ancestors who have passed on. Family is a focal point to their culture. In India, their is a tradition where in most families, the parents arrange the marriages of their children.
In my family, we have the tradition where every time our family is all together, we take a picture. We all complain and grumble every time my Mom rounds us up for a picture, but pictures are something my family has come to value.
Another tradition in my family we did while all of us kids were at home would be early in the morning around 6 AM. My Dad would wake us kids up to come upstairs for family prayer before he left for work every morning. This tradition helped us to grow closer as a family and taught us the importance of putting God first.
In my husband's family, one tradition they would do was around Christmas time. Every year they would find a family in need and drop off a gift or scripture every day for the twelve days leading up to Christmas.This tradition taught my husband to look outward in a season that is usually associated with receiving.
While these traditions I shared are all positive and good, there are some traditions practiced in families that can have negative consequences. These negative traditions can not only cause contention and harm in their immediate families, but also their future families.
For example, think of the movie Coco. Miguel's grandmother is adamant that no one in their family will play any sort of musical instrument. It was forbidden. This tradition was passed down from generation to generation starting at Miguel's great-grandmother. Even with this tradition, Miguel is drawn to music and his family and he is almost distanced from them because of it.
Some families may have the tradition of being very judgmental of others. Fathers and Mothers can pass this tradition down to their children because that's what their children have grown up with. They were taught that was an appropriate was to think of other people. Other family traditions can be physical or emotional abuse. The "traditions" can be extremely harmful and can cause families to break apart.
As a newlywed, it's been important for my husband and I to look at the family cultures we both grew up with and decide which traditions we want for our future family as we will be beginning our own family in the next few years.
A few traditions my husband and I want for our future family include:
Not only do these traditions vary from family to family, but also from culture to culture. In China, although it is a law, there is the tradition that each family only has two children at the most. The children are to respect and obey their elders. In Mexico, there is the tradition where families celebrate the lives of their ancestors who have passed on. Family is a focal point to their culture. In India, their is a tradition where in most families, the parents arrange the marriages of their children.
In my family, we have the tradition where every time our family is all together, we take a picture. We all complain and grumble every time my Mom rounds us up for a picture, but pictures are something my family has come to value.
Another tradition in my family we did while all of us kids were at home would be early in the morning around 6 AM. My Dad would wake us kids up to come upstairs for family prayer before he left for work every morning. This tradition helped us to grow closer as a family and taught us the importance of putting God first.
In my husband's family, one tradition they would do was around Christmas time. Every year they would find a family in need and drop off a gift or scripture every day for the twelve days leading up to Christmas.This tradition taught my husband to look outward in a season that is usually associated with receiving.
While these traditions I shared are all positive and good, there are some traditions practiced in families that can have negative consequences. These negative traditions can not only cause contention and harm in their immediate families, but also their future families.
For example, think of the movie Coco. Miguel's grandmother is adamant that no one in their family will play any sort of musical instrument. It was forbidden. This tradition was passed down from generation to generation starting at Miguel's great-grandmother. Even with this tradition, Miguel is drawn to music and his family and he is almost distanced from them because of it.
Some families may have the tradition of being very judgmental of others. Fathers and Mothers can pass this tradition down to their children because that's what their children have grown up with. They were taught that was an appropriate was to think of other people. Other family traditions can be physical or emotional abuse. The "traditions" can be extremely harmful and can cause families to break apart.
As a newlywed, it's been important for my husband and I to look at the family cultures we both grew up with and decide which traditions we want for our future family as we will be beginning our own family in the next few years.
A few traditions my husband and I want for our future family include:
- Sunday night game nights. We've done this with friends in the time that we've been married and LOVE it. It's a time for family fun, bonding, and LAUGHING.
- Family scripture study. Not only does this bring us closer as a family, but it brings us closer to God.
- Family dinner. Even if we are busy throughout the day and apart, we can always count on family time together during dinner.
It's important that each one of us look at our own families and decide which traditions we need to continue, stop, or begin.
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