healthykids
Keep a Family Notebook On New Year’s Eve, make it a custom for every member of the family to write down or draw pictures of their goals and dreams for the coming year. The whole family can then gather to consider, “What do we want to do this year?” It’s fun, too, for parents and sib- lings to recall and reflect upon indi- viduals’ special moments and accom- plishments, so that everyone can join in tooting their own horn in sharing the good news on New Year’s Eve. Here’s another idea: Show home movies of good experiences, while crossing things off last year’s list as “done,” “do over” or “do again.”
KID-CENTERED CEREMONIES
Shared family rituals deepen bonds and make memories. by charlotte eulette
eremonies and rituals are power- ful stuff, bringing people to- gether to magically transform the ordinary into something extraordinary. Humans everywhere seem hard-wired to ceremonialize, having gathered to mark milestones essential to healthy and happy coexistence since the dawn of recorded time. First Nation Chief Sun Bear has
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eloquently stated the vital importance of ceremony: “When humans participate in ceremony, they enter a sacred space. Everything outside of that space shrivels in importance. Time takes on a brilliant dimension. Emotions flow more freely. The bodies of participants become filled with the energy of life, and this energy reaches out and blesses the creation around them. All is made new. Every- thing becomes sacred.”
Making kid-centric rituals a reality in our own family not only unites and
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strengthens us, but also creates unfor- gettable memories. They remind us of how we are journeying together on this adventure called life. The follow- ing ideas, straight from family life, are contributed by Melissa Mendez, of Edina, Minnesota, and Deb Goldman, of Arlington, Massachusetts.
Redress Christmas Encourage children to make their own Christmas tree, totem or other seasonal object, decorated any way they wish, to display in their room or another special spot. Ask them to take a photo of their festive creation and add it to the family album or notebook.
Benefit: Kids discover their inner cre- ativity and enjoy expressing themselves individually.
Benefit: Make and realize plans for the new year. Letting children know that the family pays attention to and praises what they do each year empowers kids to realize what roles they play in the family. Everyone knows how they are making it possible to accomplish indi- vidual and family goals.
Engage the Senses Maybe Grandfather has a special holi- day cranberry-mango-lime relish that he is now passing along to his grandson in the kitchen tonight. The holidays are all about passing down stories, songs, recipes, readings from sacred texts, and the ritual lighting of the treetop or candles, from one generation to the next.
In other seasons, take the whole
family for a walk in the woods to col- lect small mementoes of nature’s beauty that won’t disturb the environment. Return with autumn leaves, pine cones, seed pods and berries for a seasonal cornucopia, displayed either in a basket on a table or in an old unused fishbowl or tank. Mostly, kids will remember the time they spent skipping through the forest with their parents.
Benefit: The child is engaged in the process of both being in the moment and experiencing connections and con- tinuity. Introducing repeated rituals like these welcome children to be involved in a family ritual from beginning to end. From year to year, they can anticipate and prepare to participate with relish.
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