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The Culture of Busyness

Families are spread out. We’re working longer. We’re schooling longer. We’re glued to our devices. We’re ticking boxes, crossing off to-do’s, and accumulating more stuff that we don’t even have time to enjoy. Dr. William McKeith made a good point when he said, “When we adults are busy filling our days and nights with more and more work, where are the children?”

We need family traditions perhaps now more than ever.

Traditions provide order in the chaos. They bring us back to one another. As we gather around the table or the campfire, we are reminded that life is short and children don’t stay children for long. When we laugh through game night or cram together in a car for a road trip, we are face to face with the ones who matter most. We are connected.

Use the traditions you already have in place, and create more if you feel the need, as sacred family time; uninterrupted bonding time that the children can count on.

10 Family Traditions to Consider:

1. Read aloud for 30 minutes every night before bed. Here’s a list of 25 read-aloud books for ages 5-12.
2. Eat dinner together. By candlelight! Keep this key jar at the table for conversation starters.
3. Turn chores from a weekly battle into a fun tradition by playing loud music and baking cookies to eat when everyone is finished.
4. Once a month, throw up some streamers and blow up a few balloons. Ask each child to name something worth celebrating this month. Then celebrate it! Hey, any excuse for cake, right?
5. Take a picture in the same place every year on the first day of school. Marvel at how much bigger they are than last year.
6. Make birthday celebrations extra special. Try these ideas.
7. Go on monthly Mommy/Daddy dates. These are a great way for children to get the one-on-one attention they crave. Check out these date night ideas.
8. Create a time capsule every year, either on a child’s birthday or perhaps New Year’s Eve. I love the ideas listed here.
9. Watch for meteors. One of the most magical nights this year was when all of us took our pillows and blankets to the trampoline, cozied up together, and watched falling stars. Google when the next meteor shower is and mark it on your calendar.
10. Start a Christmas Eve Box tradition. There are a lot of ideas for what to put in the box at this site.

Related Article: Thanksgiving Traditions for Families

Rebecca Eanes is the bestselling author of multiple books including Positive Parenting: An Essential Guide, The Positive Parenting Workbook, and The Gift of a Happy Mother. She is the grateful mom of two boys.