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FamilyTies
(Continued frorn page 19)
society grow up without any impor–
tance being placed on family din–
ner.
Yet in many countries and
among certain ethnic groups tt ts
considered
essential
that all the
family be seated at the dinner table
together. Here a meal represents
far more than just food and nutri–
tion to the body. lt is a time for
family communion-fellowship,
conversation and enjoyment.
fs it this way in your home? Do
you have each and every member of
your family gathered together at
least for the evening mea!? This
seems like such a simple thing, but
it has great importance. Why pass
up the opportunity to gather your
entire family-the most beloved
people to you-around you in an
atmosphere of love?
The sbaring of food has always
connoted the sharing of Jove. Shar–
ing food together is a sure way to
increase the bonds between people.
And remember:
It
is important
to make sure the conversation at
the table
is pleasant- no
bicker–
ing, arguments, unpleasant topics
or controversia! matters. Mealtime
should be a pleasant experience
filled with goodwill. This promotes
family closeness and !ove.
Passing on Traditions
Sorne of the strongest bonds in many
families are passed on from genera–
tion to generation as a result of cul–
tural heritages from the land of thei r
ancestry. Those customs often retain
cultural tastes in food , dress, dance
and even in professions.
Another passing on of custom
can be that of a trade or profession.
Throughout most of history, chil–
dren learned the trade of their
fathers that had in turn been
Jearned from their fathers.
Because many modero societies
have given up such practices alto–
gether, crafts that have endured for
centuries are being Jost.
Even if a youngster does not
wish to follow in his father's foot–
steps, if a trade, craft or profession
has been learned, he will have
something to fall back on.
1t's amazing today how few boys
do any household jobs, paint or
October 1984
just does not have a long
family history. Perhaps
you have no knowledge of
your ancestry or even of a
craft of your parents.
But that should not stop
you from establishing
bonds in your family now.
Actually , whether you
have realized it or not ,
there are really only two
courses of action to take.
Either build meaningful
and lasting traditions in
your family, or drift into
nontraditions that will
cause your family to spüt
farther and farther apart
from one another.
Another passing on of custom can be
trade or profession. Throughout most of
history, children learned the trade
Why not sit down this
evening and talk over what
kind of relationships will
best benefit your family?
Get out the old picture
album. Recall Granddad
and Grandma- even
your great-grandparents.
Maybe you' ll bring up
sorne long lost part of
your family past that your
of their fathers that had in turn been
learned from their fathers.
children have never even
heard before.
mend things, change the oil or tune
up the car. Only a small number of
girls know how to sew, quilt or even
cook for that matter.
You see, in order to Iearn many
of these skills, you have to spend
time with your father or mother or
with grandparents.
Since most of usare not living on
a farm, we don't know how to
plant, cultivate, harvest, can, bottle
or freeze vegetables and fruits.
Even if many families wanted to
have a vegetable garden, they
wouldn't know how to. Yet many
middle-aged parents have known
how to plant a garden-and almost
every grandparent had one; proba–
bly grew up on a farm or in the
country. Why haven't we passed on
these fun and useful skills?
If
you have not learned any skills
that should have been perpetuated in
your family, why not take a Iittle
time to backtrack and learn from
your father or mother in order to
pass them on to your son or daugh–
ter?
Building New Traditions
Maybe you are part of a family that
Then talk about what kind of new
customs you would like to incorpo–
rate into your family. Sorne of the
most meaningful family experiences
can be worked around vacation. Per–
haps visiting national parks, or tak–
ing up camping, fishing or other out–
door activities, will be something
your family can enjoy.
One of the best ways to spend
vacation time is to hold regular
family reunions such as have been
mentioned earlier.
So whether you decide on special
vacation trips, outdoor camp-outs,
dinners or nothing more than a
quiet afternoon in your own back–
yard, make up your mind to build
strong family bonds. You' ll always
be glad you did. Not only will it
pull your family together as a team
now, but someday your grandchil–
dren wíll thank you for establishing
family bonds that will be passed on
to their children and to generations
yet to come.
Our next installment, "Growing
Healthy Babies- There's No Sec–
ond Chance!", will explain a most
important issue many parents total–
ly neglect.
o
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