Do you have any weird and wacky family traditions?
I don't know about you but as a parent I find myself reminiscing about some of the funny and bizarre traditions we had as kids in my own family: running around the house three times, barefoot to celebrate the New Year; getting up at the crack of dawn on Christmas morning (sometimes slightly before); spending a week camping at the lake every summer; Sunday dinners at the Grandparent's house with the whole extended family - the list goes on and on.
These traditions helped shape my childhood. And now, as a parent I wonder what traditions I will be creating with my own child? Do you have to 'try' to create traditions as a family or do these things come about naturally, without putting in a lot of thought or effort?
I can't help but compare my own childhood with that of my daughter's and notice that A LOT of things are different. The fact that I live in a different territory, thousands of kilometres and a solid day of air travel away from all of my family members. And a different community than my in-laws makes me feel like my daughter won't be able to have the same special traditions that I had a kid. Is this the new normal? I'm sure many of you are in the same boat - perhaps living in a rural Yukon community for a short time for work or supporting your partner. Or just wanting to explore a different way of life and place for a period of your life. I know that this generation of families differs greatly from what we experienced a generation ago. It's much more acceptable to be more transient and to move around following a career goal, your heart or to accommodate a career change (or two).
I've been wondering lately if I should be trying harder to establish these traditions, or some variation of what I grew up with, into my daughter's life. Something tells me that it's not quite right to try and fit your old family traditions into a completely different life that they we created. Is this true?
What is your take on family traditions? I would love to hear how you think traditions are 'born' and whether you and your family work to establish these traditions, or it they just come about out of the blue.
Happy Monday to everyone out there. I hope the sun is shining in Watson Lake today!
