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Faith Topics
Nurturing Your Child’s Spirit
The Value of Traditions
Traditions play an important role in passing on our faith. The beliefs and customs related to an event or holiday establish a special family identity.
What traditions did you grow up with? What traditions do you want to keep and which do you want to toss out?
Christmas
In our family, the Friday after Thanksgiving is Christmas decorating day. Christmas CDs replace the normal ones we listen to, and holiday videos take a place of prominence on the video shelf. We always invite a single person or two to join us as the tree is decorated. As each ornament is unwrapped, stories are told of its origin and purpose.
Several other traditions have become part of the holiday season between Thanksgiving and Christmas:
- A spiritual growth opportunity: A church play, the Christmas Eve candlelight service, a visit to the community nativity scene — all became an annual tradition for our family.
- A service project: We took the kids caroling at a nursing home, singing in the mall or working to package Operation Christmas Child gift boxes. Whatever the year held, we taught our kids the value of serving others. Now that the children are grown, I find service projects the most exciting part of the holiday season.
- Giving to the less fortunate: It was important to us to teach our kids that there’s always someone less fortunate who needs their help. So we always gave to those in need whether locally, nationally or internationally.
- A cultural enrichment activity: The Nutcracker, a Christmas symphony or another culturally enriching experience is part of the holiday season for us.
- Special family traditions: Fruit salad for breakfast on Thanksgiving and Christmas became an absolute MUST for my children. My college-age daughter was appalled that I had forgotten the fruit salad one Thanksgiving, and I had to run to the store at midnight so she wouldn’t miss that strangely important tradition.
Easter
The Easter season gives you a perfect opportunity to impart spirituality to your children. But you have to be intentional about it, or else the Easter bunny and baskets may overshadow what you are trying to teach. So make it fun, but also help your children understand the significance of this season.
Here are some ideas for making Easter meaningful:
- Eggs and baskets: There are spiritual lessons beyond the symbols of Easter. Teaching the meaning of them is a tradition in itself. Books and websites abound on this topic.
- Passion Plays: Churches have a variety of plays at this season, but some are not appropriate for young children and others are wonderful for media-saturated teens. Call your local churches to find out more. After the performance, discuss the story and your thoughts.
- Easter sunrise service: Most communities have a sunrise service that can help make this season special.
- A special meal with guests or doing a service project can teach children that others are valuable.
The opportunity to nurture your child’s spirit and the powerful sense of identity that traditions bring to children’s lives are well worth the work you put into developing your own special family traditions. Start now and reap the rewards.
—Susan Goodwin Graham
See: Other Traditions
Do you have thoughts, questions, advice on this topic? Post your stories and comments in the forum for other parents to respond to. Enter the forum now.
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