This has not always been my natural tendency nor my experience. I didn't grow up in a family that had a bunch of family traditions when it came to celebrating special occasions. We certainly celebrated those special days but always with minimal fuss and fanfare.
As I have grown and particularly as I have developed and grown in my role as I parent I have learnt that family traditions start, end or continue with me. As the mother of my household in lots of ways I set the tone and culture in my house. I get to create or break with family tradition.
I have always loved the idea of family traditions. Perhaps because there were so few in my growing up. I am finding more and more that positive family traditions have a play a key role to play in building and contributing to the fabric of a healthy family. A family tradition that I am definitely labouring to establish in our family is the idea of making the special days special.
This really doesn't need to be about spending money which is often the first place we go to in our mind. I think this idea is part of the reason why often young families don't establish this idea as a foundational family value.
Really, the idea of making the special days special is about placing value. It simply requires a little creativity and giving mostly of yourself and your time to show, that person that you love, they are important to you!
Mother's Day has come and gone but I'm sure like my family you have a birthday or two or ten just around the corner. What can you be creating, planning or doing to make those special days special for that someone you love? How can you make the next special day the first of many, building a culture in your family of placing value on those you love?
