One of my sisters and I decided when our kids were very young, that we would be creative about and committed to starting annual traditions for the children to enjoy.
Growing up there were events we looked forward to, and still talk about…like our late Aunt Bay (Lucille) and late Cousin Ernest coming to our home every Thanksgiving and Christmas with pan after pan of homemade Southern-style foods and desserts for the whole family to feast on! Our aunt never wrote a cookbook or had her own cooking show, but she certainly had the skills to have done so. And, when we talk about those times now that we’re all adults, we can almost taste those wonderful foods Aunt Bay was known for.
Our hope with our children was that not only would the fun family traditions we’ve begun for our kids bring a lot of joy to them and to the rest of the family. But, we wanted them to begin talking at early ages about how they would continue the traditions when they have families of their own. It looks as if that will indeed happen.
Maybe around 10 years ago we started something called “Cousins’ Week,” where the cousins take turns spending one week out of the summer at either home. These two weeks are talked about during the entire school year, with the excitement building the closer we get to the end of June.
While the kids talked on the phone, e-mailed, IM’d, sent texts, or social-networked each other about how much fun they would have during their weeks; the parents would also be busy making arrangements for the “Famous Drop-offs & Pick-ups" of the children.
Living four hours away from each other would make for exhausting drop-offs & pick-ups, so the parents decided to pick a midpoint and meet there.
When the Cousins’ Weeks first started, we’d meet at a restaurant halfway between the two states; and give the kids a chance to eat lunch and play in the play area for a couple of hours so the adults could spend time together and rest before the drives back to our respective homes.
The pick-ups followed the same pattern one week later.
When another relative actually built a home in the midway point, this became the drop-off/pick-up location. Despite the change in location, there would still be some time allotted for catching up by the grownups.
To hear it from the kids, these are some of the best weeks of every year for them.
According to the kids, the MOST fun when they were younger came from knowing that “The Tickle Monster” (my husband, Terence) would be lurking about in the wings to launch a surprise attack at any moment either at my home during Cousins’ Week, or during a drop-off or pick-up!
The activities during the weeks together usually involved :
Growing up there were events we looked forward to, and still talk about…like our late Aunt Bay (Lucille) and late Cousin Ernest coming to our home every Thanksgiving and Christmas with pan after pan of homemade Southern-style foods and desserts for the whole family to feast on! Our aunt never wrote a cookbook or had her own cooking show, but she certainly had the skills to have done so. And, when we talk about those times now that we’re all adults, we can almost taste those wonderful foods Aunt Bay was known for.
Our hope with our children was that not only would the fun family traditions we’ve begun for our kids bring a lot of joy to them and to the rest of the family. But, we wanted them to begin talking at early ages about how they would continue the traditions when they have families of their own. It looks as if that will indeed happen.
Maybe around 10 years ago we started something called “Cousins’ Week,” where the cousins take turns spending one week out of the summer at either home. These two weeks are talked about during the entire school year, with the excitement building the closer we get to the end of June.
While the kids talked on the phone, e-mailed, IM’d, sent texts, or social-networked each other about how much fun they would have during their weeks; the parents would also be busy making arrangements for the “Famous Drop-offs & Pick-ups" of the children.
Living four hours away from each other would make for exhausting drop-offs & pick-ups, so the parents decided to pick a midpoint and meet there.
When the Cousins’ Weeks first started, we’d meet at a restaurant halfway between the two states; and give the kids a chance to eat lunch and play in the play area for a couple of hours so the adults could spend time together and rest before the drives back to our respective homes.
The pick-ups followed the same pattern one week later.
When another relative actually built a home in the midway point, this became the drop-off/pick-up location. Despite the change in location, there would still be some time allotted for catching up by the grownups.
To hear it from the kids, these are some of the best weeks of every year for them.
According to the kids, the MOST fun when they were younger came from knowing that “The Tickle Monster” (my husband, Terence) would be lurking about in the wings to launch a surprise attack at any moment either at my home during Cousins’ Week, or during a drop-off or pick-up!
The activities during the weeks together usually involved :
Hanging out or camping in the backyard; swimming for hours; going for long walks to a local store to share their money and buy snacks; shopping at the mall; pausing to get summer homework assignments done; going to the movies; or staying in PJs all day and into the wee hours of the night to watch movie after movie.
The fun activities, non-stop giggling, non-stop talking, dreaming about and planning for adulthood and for careers has always taken place 24-7 during Cousins' Weeks.
Our kids have for years said that after they start raising families, they will continue this Annual Cousins’ Week Tradition with their own children because they see and feel the value of these special and memorable family times together.
And, their love of this one tradition has led to their love of other family traditions, like the Annual Family Tri-State & Mid-State Thanksgiving Trek to Uncle Rich’s Home or the Annual Family Summer Gathering at The Biggs' Home.
Sure, we talk and laugh about some of the same things year after year. But, that’s part of the beauty of these times together.
With so much uncertainty and imbalance out in the world these days, it is a reassuring comfort to know that our family can enjoy a sense of sameness and oneness during those annual family traditional times when we get together with loved ones.
For any LifelineExtensions.blog readers who don’t currently have annual family traditions to call your own, we encourage you to start some.
And, for those readers who do enjoy and look forward to certain times every year; try not to let your annual family traditions end for any reason. Even if a family member moves or passes away, someone else in the family can pick up the torch to make sure traditions are continued.
Our kids have for years said that after they start raising families, they will continue this Annual Cousins’ Week Tradition with their own children because they see and feel the value of these special and memorable family times together.
And, their love of this one tradition has led to their love of other family traditions, like the Annual Family Tri-State & Mid-State Thanksgiving Trek to Uncle Rich’s Home or the Annual Family Summer Gathering at The Biggs' Home.
Sure, we talk and laugh about some of the same things year after year. But, that’s part of the beauty of these times together.
With so much uncertainty and imbalance out in the world these days, it is a reassuring comfort to know that our family can enjoy a sense of sameness and oneness during those annual family traditional times when we get together with loved ones.
For any LifelineExtensions.blog readers who don’t currently have annual family traditions to call your own, we encourage you to start some.
And, for those readers who do enjoy and look forward to certain times every year; try not to let your annual family traditions end for any reason. Even if a family member moves or passes away, someone else in the family can pick up the torch to make sure traditions are continued.
Remember, our kids crave these annual traditions as much as the adults in the family do. You will hear them recap these times together well into adulthood, and this helps to keep the oral history of your family alive and well...
Sharon M. Biggs, M.A.
Educational Leader & Consultant
Educational Leader & Consultant
Email us @ lifelineextensionsblogspot@gmail.com if you’d like to share your own family tradition story with us. Or, you can simply post a comment or reaction below this article.
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