Are Your Family Traditions At Risk?

Daddy-o recently expressed that he was concerned we were going to lose some of our family traditions. He was worried that we had very distinct traditions in place when our biggies were small, but now that the biggies are losing a bit of interest, the small kids may be missing out.

Skipping the Rockton World Fair this Thanksgiving for the first time ever was what spurred Daddy-o’s comment. We were going to go, but with all the hockey practices, homework, social events, birthday parties and the fact that a couple big ones said they’d be happy to give it a miss, well — we did, in fact, give it a miss.

This was something we never would have done when our bigger kids were small.

The next weekend was our trip to the pumpkin patch. A couple of the biggies said they didn’t feel like going and asked to stay home while we take the little ones. We paused for a moment, and then said absolutely not. We explained that we all have a role in giving the smaller kids family memories and sometimes that means doing activities they’ve outgrown. Although these times are rare, they are expected to sometimes participate even when they don’t initially want to. They understood the value in that. And, as suspected, they had a great time at the pumpkin patch.

As kids get older and busier with sports, friends, social lives (and Minecraft), it’s sometimes easy to let traditions go. We have recommitted to our traditions, which unfortunately includes me spending Sunday nights blindfolded playing “Blind-Man’s Bluff.” That exhausting game is a small price to pay to hear my big and little kids alike laughing hysterically and making memories together.

One of my favourite traditions that we’ve managed to hold onto through the years is the annual “pumpkin roll” at my mother’s house. The week after Halloween, all the grandkids bring their old squishy, moldy and stinky pumpkins to her backyard ravine and toss them downhill to see whose goes the furthest.

How does your family value traditions? Have you noticed them shift as kids get older or when you have another baby? What is one of your family traditions that you never want to say goodbye to?