| Celebrate Your Family through Traditions | | | | Who else does her Dad serenade to? Not many.o |
| Look at a strong family and chances are, you find | | | | Identity and identification - This is my family. This is |
| one with strong family traditions. Whether it is | | | | what we do when one of us has a birthday.o |
| everyday routines or ways they celebrate holidays, | | | | Stability and continuity in a fast-paced and hectic |
| activities that the family does, or how they celebrate | | | | world - she can count on this special treatment one |
| special occasions such as Birthdays, these family | | | | specific day a year.o Connections - to his siblings who |
| rituals bring a sense of belonging and familiarity to | | | | enjoy the same birthday wake-up routine, or to his |
| family members. | | | | parents childhood if this was their childhood tradition |
| Says family therapist Art Cleveland, "Family customs | | | | as well. |
| create connections between family members past | | | | Birthday traditions are wonderful opportunities for |
| and present, foster identity through individual | | | | families to celebrate "good times" and make "happy |
| participation and establish security through repetition." | | | | memories." Give your child that same sense of |
| Even simple birthday traditions, such as a birthday | | | | belonging and security by keeping a few family |
| child woken up to her Dad singing Happy Birthday on | | | | birthday traditions from year to year. |
| her bed, repeated over the years, can enrich a child | | | | A birthday tradition might spring from a parent's own |
| in many ways:o Role models - Help establish and | | | | growing up years, be an activity your child enjoys, or |
| communicate what is really important to a family and | | | | be an idea gleaned from a friend. |
| its members - each other.o A sense of belonging - | | | | |