Search Results for: blog differences in traditions

How Traditions Start

Christmas Eve in our household often means going to church and singing carols. Christmas Eve is a busy time, as after we come home from carols then there is the usual settling down too wrap gifts for each other and for family before they arrive over Christmas. When we were first married we always vowed we would wrap earlier and not get caught up in last minute preparations but somehow over the years it never happened. After we have wrapped presents for family, to the sound of accompanying Christmas carols playing on the CD player, then Mick usually disappears to … Continue reading →

Differences in Traditions

My husband grew up in a home where Christmas was celebrated to the max. There were piles of presents, tons of goodies, and a lot going on all the time. I grew up in a home where money was super-tight, and Christmas was, by societal standards, pretty small. As adults, my husband doesn’t really care much for presents or personal belongings. I, on the other hand, go through a kind of holiday guilt, wondering if I got my children “enough.” I buy, bring home, wrap, and nearly always tuck something away for a birthday or later Christmas, realizing I over-shopped … Continue reading →

Sports And Family Bonds

With the Super Bowl just a couple of weeks away, now is a good time to think about sports and how they relate to family history. Whether you have athletes in the family, sports fans, or both, it is very likely that at least some family members have an interest in sports. If you think about your relatives and what sports they like to play or watch, you may see some similarities between family members. You might also see some major differences of opinion, which can make for memorable family events if there is a game on television featuring the … Continue reading →

Students with Special Needs Honored

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High schools across the country celebrate homecoming every fall. It is filled with football and dancing. Along with those traditions comes the crowing of homecoming queen and king. This year, in schools throughout the United States, students are electing their previously overlooked classmates, teens with special needs. The movement is a celebration of diversity and of the strength and resilience of these individuals. And it is making parents of all students extremely proud. In Texas, Gracie Kiltz who suffered brain damage during chemotherapy to treat leukemia when she was just two years old, was nominated homecoming queen to the delight … Continue reading →

What if My Children’s Other Parent Won’t Take Them to Church on Easter?

Co-parenting is not always easy. It is inevitable that you and your ex will have varying opinions on a variety of issues, from discipline to education to religion. However, religious differences can really come to a head around holidays, such as Easter, when one parent feels that it is important the children attend a religious service, while the other parent does not. If your children will be spending Easter with a parent who does not share your views on the importance of attending church on this sacred day, there are some things you can do to take action. First, try … Continue reading →

Author Interview – Janet Kay Jensen

Today we are joined by Janet Kay Jensen, author of “The Booklover’s Cookbook” and “Don’t You Marry the Mormon Boys.” Janet, your new book “Don’t You Marry the Mormon Boys” came out at a time that was very significant in our current affairs. Warren Jeffs was on the front of every newspaper. Did his story inspire you to write the book at that time, or was the book already in the works and came out coincidentally at the same time the Jeffs story broke? I actually started the book in 2000, when Warren Jeffs was not on the FBI’s Most … Continue reading →

A Caution About Introducing Children to Other Cultures

When I was a preschool teacher, I attended a workshop that challenged something I most loved to do. I was startled—someone was challenging something I believed was healthy and showed a commitment to diversity. As an adoptive parent, I now understand their point more than ever. I’ve always loved other cultures and try to show kids different customs, costumes and music from around the world. So I was very surprised when the workshop leaders criticized the “country of the week/month” held in many preschool and primary classes. The leaders pointed out that we often do this in a way which … Continue reading →

When in Rome …

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Do you think that divorce, prenuptial agreements and living together are just a modern invention? Turns out that all of these existed in Ancient Rome and oh, and politically advantageous marriages? Yep, they happened there too. As it turns out, if you wanted to seek an office in the Roman political structure, you were best off arranging marriages for your children to increase your political alliances. The name for marriage was matrimonium (the root of matrimonial) and the root of that word is mater – or mother. Providing children was the principle requirement behind a couple entering into matrimonium. Marriages … Continue reading →

Do Your Parents Resent Your In-Laws?

Here’s an odd conundrum or maybe it’s not so odd, but I’ve had more than one note from a couple encountering this particular issue and whether it’s the bride’s parents or the groom’s – how do you cope with it when your parents don’t like your in-laws? For Christa in North Carolina, she describes it as walking a tightrope while juggling especially around the holidays. She and her husband have three children and instead of having one large holiday with the whole family together they spend one part of the holidays with one set of grandparents and the other part … Continue reading →

Talking About Diversity in School and at Home

I’ve always loved to learn about other cultures. My fondest memory of elementary school is a Mexican posada procession and fiesta. My favorite thing about my children’s preschool was that they celebrated Diwali, Hanukkah, Christmas, Eid al-Fitr, Purim and more. As a preschool teacher myself, I was eager to expose my students to other holidays, cultures, etc. I posted pictures of people in different national costumes and different types of homes. Imagine my shock when I went to a to a teachers’ workshop on diversity and the speaker warned us against overemphasizing different and unusual things about countries and told … Continue reading →