Well Christmas is over with and now we look forward to the next celebration, New Year’s Eve. That is one of my favorite times of the year because we have made it a rule that our family is together that night.
This means we don’t go to other people’s houses to celebrate New Year’s and our children don’t get to go to the youth group celebration. In fact my sister asked if my boys could spend New Year’s Eve with their cousins but I had to say no. That is our time together as a family and I will protect it.
This was much easier to stick to when they were younger. As they are getting older, they would probably choose to spend time with friends or their cousins but we feel it’s important that we stick to our traditions and make the most of all the opportunities we have to be together.
It has now become a rare occasion that I have all three of my children home on a Friday night, when we might otherwise do things together as a family so I am going to keep putting my foot down about New Year’s Eve.
Traditions are wonderful things that your children can look forward to year after year. One of our traditions is that we splurge on a good meal. My husband will make lobster, steak and shrimp. I have stockpiled the Welch’s Sparkling Juice so we have plenty of that as well. We also break out the sausage, cheese and crackers.
We spend part of the evening playing games together as a family and another part of it watching episodes of the “Three Stooges.” I have been recording several shows the past few days so that we have plenty of them on New Year’s Eve.
It might all sound a bit hokey but our kids really do enjoy it. In fact, I know they must enjoy it because they never argue about not getting to do other things on New Year’s Eve.
There is nothing like family traditions and as your children get older, scheduling in moments that you are together as a family. I think that will be one of my New Year’s Resolutions for 2011. I would like to establish at least one Friday night a month that we are together.
What do you do to ensure you spend quality time with your teens?
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