A Great Idea …
“Children benefit from a family life that has an expected rhythm and routine to it… Children derive comfort from familiarity. . . It helps them feel more control of their lives.” (Laurence Steinberg, psychologist, in his book, The 10 Basic Principles of Good Parenting, p. 44)
In Other Words …
Routines and traditions help children feel safe. Children look forward to predictable activities. Reading books together, taking walks in the evening, visiting with relatives, eating dinner together-these give children things to anticipate gladly. Of course, occasional surprises have their place as well as they add zest to their safe-feeling lives.
How This Applies to You …
Look at your rituals and traditions. What might you add that would bring more tradition and closeness to your life with your children? Maybe you want to go to the library every Wednesday. Maybe you want to set a couple of days per week to go to the park. Maybe you want to create a time every week to listen to music and dance together. Build pleasant traditions into your life together.
To Find Out More …
For an excellent (and free!) program on parenting, see The Parenting Journey at www.arfamilies.org and if your children are younger than six, check out See the World Through My Eyes.
For more in-depth reading, we recommend Between Parent and Childby Haim G. Ginott or The Secure Child by Stanley Greenspan.
Comment
Thank you for this post. I find this true with my kids. Very important….and if I slip and forget, they are great at remembering.
Thank you for your parenting tips and wonderful guidance!
:)Bree