Family Rituals
The holidays are here and it’s time for remembrance, tradition, and ritual. One thing that makes this time of year special, especially for children, is carrying out holiday traditions and rituals that are unique to you and your family. Rituals provide an opportunity for family members to connect and to feel rooted. Today’s rituals become tomorrow’s childhood memories.
The holidays don’t have to be the only time for rituals. Experts say that families with shared experiences are more likely to maintain closeness through the years. Yet, most families today are busy doing things instead of being together. Video games, cable TV, and movie rentals can erode quality time, while a constant stream of activities—soccer, T-ball, karate, scouts, swimming—can contribute to an increasingly hectic pace. Many families have to schedule time just to be together. Incorporating rituals into your routines is a great way to do this.
How can rituals add value to family life?
Children thrive on a sense of order and a certain amount of predictability. Rituals can help to provide them with that structure, while underscoring the uniqueness of their own family. Rituals are also an opportunity to introduce your child to his or her own cultural history. And rituals can be fun! They can be as simple as a father and son going for haircuts together (and for ice cream afterward), to a mother and daughter going to see The Nutcracker each December.
Rituals:
- Provide a sense of identity
- Reinforce a family’s values
- Add structure and routine
- Strengthen and anchor the family
- Connect the generations
- Create a sense of togetherness and family uniqueness
By mirroring your own family’s ideals and beliefs, rituals can be a great way to reinforce values that you hold dear. Rituals are also a way to connect the generations and bring a sense of belonging to family members.
Rituals and Hemophilia
While we know a vast range of rituals are associated with the holidays, could it be that children with hemophilia can enjoy rituals associated with their condition? Creating a positive connection between infusion and a pleasant activity does make it a more enjoyable ritual—and this is very possible, even easy.
Everything you do to take care of your child’s hemophilia—infusing, doctor’s visits, going to the hemophilia treatment center (HTC)—can become part of a positive ritual. For example, you can build in time to visit one of your child’s favorite places after each visit to the HTC. Let a younger child mark the calendar using his favorite stickers to show the dates he’ll be going to the HTC or doctor. After infusing, do something together that your child enjoys, like coloring or playing a game. This could also reinforce a positive association with taking care of themselves and their condition. To help non-hemophilic siblings from feeling left out, get them involved. For instance, they can gather the supplies for infusing, and join in the activity you planned for after a medical visit or infusion.
