Family traditions and rituals: creating a connection between the past and the present

Family rituals provide a sense of belonging.

The purpose of family rituals and traditions is to provide a sense of belonging to the family.

“Family rituals create connections between past and present family members, foster identity through individual participation, and establish safety through repetition,” says child therapist Art Cleveland.

Stephen Glynn, the founder of Developing Capable Young People, has written,

“Families that spend regular time, as little as 30 minutes a week with young children or 30 minutes a month with older children, in some regularly structured ritual, tradition, or activity have children who experience much less serious difficulties than identical families in the same neighborhoods that don’t spend time together.

“Research from many sources has shown that children who perceive themselves as important contributing parts to a functional set of ongoing relationships before the age of 12 are more resistant to peer groups, cults, and extraneous programming during adolescence than children who perceive themselves as insignificant to others.

The benefits of family traditions and rituals.

Regular and consistent family traditions/rituals can provide adults and children with the following:

• a feeling of belonging
• Identity and identification
• Role models
• sense of purpose
• connections
• Stability and continuity in a fast-paced and hectic world.

Not a bad return on investment, right?