In this episode we share our love and hate for traditions. Just as every family’s value system will be different, our views on traditions will be too.

We share a religious upbringing that greatly shaped what traditions, especially holiday traditions, mean to us. We share a desire to question each year how we would like to celebrate, or not, a tradition, as well as also carrying through certain aspects of one.

For kids, traditions bring stability, helping a child build self esteem and confidence, making them feel safe and secure. They reduce the cognitive load, especially for parents, to know what they should be doing. They can also feel boring, repetitive, and meaningless. As much as traditions are inclusive they can also be exclusive and carry unnecessary pressure to behave a certain way.

This year we are bringing the question of what to do for the holiday season for the entire family to decide at their MFP, the Monthly Family Party. An MFP is one of the Mall family’s favorite traditions. They are a place to talk about what’s coming up, what’s working or not working, to get on the same page, and most importantly to ensure they are all living their best lives together.