Aahh…now family traditions and such I am really into doing. I wouldn’t say I do crafts or anything, still, but I am a big believer in the value of family traditions; secular, religious and Biblical.
We have wonderful traditions within Judaism and by extension Messianic Judaism, to lift up G-d and His Word and to provide memories for the children to grow up with and pass down to their families; traditions bring so much to life through illustration and the value the committment to tradition shows to the children. This last generation has lost so much to multi-culturalism and political correctness. Regional and religious traditons re wonderful things that promote community and a sense of groundedness and belonging, plus that there is more than just yourself; I am grateful I was raised in a close Southern family that still held to family traditions passed down.
We have traditions weekly(Shabbat), monthly(New Moon), Yearly (the Appointed Times), 24 hr. memorial candles lit with special prayers certain times of the year to remember the dead and then there are the American holidays, Southern traditions (foods and rememberances) and Jewish and Israeli holidays (Holocaust Rememberance day, Israeli Memorial Days and Country and Jerusalem’s Independence Days) I incorporate into our lives (and traditional St. Patrick’s Day food and Celtic muisic regularly, since we have heavy Irish on both sides).
You could bring in more American holidays into your yearly traditions or look into your family’s past and bring out the “roots” of your family and bring those to the present. Being intentional about listening to certain songs, poems and reading certain documents and stories related to people (like George Washington on his b-day and Abe Lincoln on his). I also incorporate into their school copywork and recitations to enhance the day/time. There’s Flag Day and Constitution Day, Independence Day, Memorial Day, Veteran’s day, D-Day, St. Patrick’s Day (if you’re of Irish descent) and many others of significance. Since you’re in France (right?), emphasizing your American holidays will keep him grounded in his American citizenship, IMO.
Independence Day is coming up, so you could start planning a Flag cake, traditional patriotic music, coloring pages and children’s books (like Alice Dalgliesh’s Fourth of July Story and board books by Patricia Pingry, here you can scroll through them) to be read related to the topic. As they get older your selections get more meaty, of course. We always watch Yankee Doodle Dandy with James Cagney, about George M. Cohan; the composer who composed so many Patriotic themes. I’ve been watching it since I was little-July 4th is my b-day, too.
Rachel
