Simple Secrets That
Create Happy Family Memories
Did you know that research has found that doing simple rituals
enhances our feelings of togetherness and family belonging by almost
20 percent? What’s more, those home traditions and customs also
increase our kids’ social skills and development. Here are nine
simple, no-cost secrets moms are using to create happy memories.
What are you doing to preserve memories of your times together?
1. Nighttime rituals: Read a
nighttime story; remind each other of the best part of the day; give
hugs and kiss goodnight; with older kids reconvene in the kitchen
for a nighttime snack around 9:30. Then everyone gets his goodnight
send-off: a kiss, a backrub, and affirm their love for one another
and it’s off to bed (or in some cases, back to homework).
2. Special greetings and ways to say “I love you”: Rub noses
for an “Eskimo kiss”; create your own unique family funny hugs.
3. Celebration of successes: Hang a flag on the front door
when something special has happened to a family member; use a
“fancy” plate at the table when a family member has done something
to deserve recognition.
4. Birthday memories: Each family member chooses his or her
favorite birthday dinner menu, cake, outing, and Some families even
hang the family member’s shirt on a flagpole or broomstick stuck in
the front lawn to let the world (or at least the neighborhood) know
it’s that person’s special day.
5. Musical memories: Choose special songs to be piped through
the household for family events; for a birthday, have your whole
family wake-up to the Beatles singing, “Today is your birthday…gonna
have a good time,” Bruce Springsteen’s can remind your family it’s
the Fourth of July by singing “Born in the USA”.
6. Sports and outdoors: Go fishing on Father’s Day; be
diehard Bluejay fans together; go berry-picking every spring; have
relay races and egg tosses at family picnics.
7. Volunteering and service projects: Bake an extra turkey
for Mrs. Jones at Thanksgiving; serve Christmas Eve dinner at the
homeless shelter or help out at another, less “popular” time of
year. Make a commitment to help a favorite charity as a family once
a week or month.
8. Enjoy each other’s company. Spread a rug or towel on your
living room floor and gather the troops, serve simple sandwiches,
finger food, and boxed drinks, put up some upbeat music and have an
indoor picnic. Who says you have to go anywhere to have a good time
together?
9. Family Game Night: Dust off the Chutes and Ladders,
Yahtzee, Monopoly, Candyland, or that old deck of cards. Older kids
might like Trouble, Uno, Kerplunk, Risk, or poker. Some families
hold Family Game Night once a week for thirty minutes to an hour.
Have an assortment and let a different family member choose what you
play each time.
When I surveyed hundreds of moms about what really matters in good
mothering, creating family rituals and traditions always came up in
the top of their lists. Why? Because they didn’t have to take much
time or money, and they create joy and laughter in the family and
wonderful memories that last a lifetime. Here are the steps to begin
creating new rituals in your home.
Four Steps to Creating Family Rituals and Increasing the Laughter In
Your Family
Step One: Begin by Making a List of New Traditions You’d Like to
Start in Your Home. Let your brain go wild and allow your only
rule to be “anything goes” at this stage. You might want to ask
other moms, and ask your kids for ideas. Also think back on your own
family traditions when you were growing up and include any you’re
fond of.
Step Two. Now Choose One Idea You Want to Begin With. One mom
said her got into the habit of always putting her makeup on with her
four-year-old daughter next to her. Another mom makes a tradition of
taking her son out for hot cocoa after school every Wednesday. It
really doesn’t matter what the ritual is, as long as it’s one your
family enjoys doing together.
Step Three: Write Down the Tradition—Ink It. Put the ritual
in your Palm Pilot or include it on your weekly calendar. Or tell
your family. Saying and writing it add commitment (you’ll also have
someone to help remind you to do it). Research says the sooner you
begin, (suggestion: within twenty-four hours), the greater the
likelihood you’ll stick to it.
Step Four: Plan It, Do It! Celebrate success. And keep at it.
You’re on the road to creating family memories. Traditions are
sacred and must be consistently honored every night, week, month, or
once a year. This is the stuff that is meant to bond families and
make you closer.
Whatever ritual you choose to do, make it become a family habit.
Traditions are sacred and must be consistently honored every night,
week, month, or once a year. This is the stuff that is meant to bond
families and make you closer.
Michele Borba, Ed.D. is a mom of three, former teacher, and renowned
educational consultant who has presented workshops to one million
parents and teachers worldwide. She is also the award-winning author
of 12 Simple Secrets Real Moms Know: Getting Back to Basics and
Raising Happy Kids, Parents Do Make a Difference, Don’t Give Me That
Attitude!, Building Moral Intelligence, No More Misbehavin’, and
Nobody Likes Me, Everybody Hates Me! (all Jossey-Bass). Dr. Borba is
an advisory board member for Parents, and a frequent guest on Today,
American Morning, CNN Headline News, MSNBC, The Early Show, The
View, and Fox & Friends. For more simple parenting secrets tips like
these visit
www.micheleborba.com or her daily blog, Borba’s Reality Check on
her website.
© 2006 by Michele Borba. Permission to reprint if left intact.
