The Book of New Family Traditions by Meg Cox Read Free Book Online

different that happened that day. They’ll be hungry again around 7:30 PM, and that’s when they have their weekday snack.”
    Daily Family Almanac
    When her four kids were little, Letitia Suk of Evanston, Illinois, used to read an Almanac item from the Chicago Tribune called “What Happened on This Day in History?” at dinnertime. She got the idea to start a “Family Almanac” project and purchased multiple packs of three-by-five cards. She counted out 365 cards and wrote a date on each card, and started by entering birthdays and anniversaries and other important family dates.
Terrific Online Resource for Family Meals
Dr. Grace R. Freedman, a national expert in public health and public policy with three children of her own, is fascinated by how deeply the simple ritual of shared meals strengthens families. In 2007, she started a website called www.eatdinner.org , to encourage families to eat together more often, providing them with support in the way of fresh resources, practical ideas, and the latest related research.
This isn’t a recipe site, but it is full of good information and is frequently updated. The site does suggest great cookbooks for families, including for kids learning to cook, and it links to a whole bunch of other sites and blogs that are getting parents jazzed to make memorable—as well as healthy—regular family dinners.
    Then, as the days and weeks went by, she would write down anything notable for that day as it happened. The cards became rich resources for documenting the past, so that as she pulled out a card on a particular day, she could remind her kids what had happened on that day in previous years. Every July 26, she would say, “On this day in 1993, we were at Old Faithful together. Remember that trip?” She kept this card deck of memories in the kitchen for easy access. It does require a bit of work to set up the Almanac deck, but once begun, this Family Almanac is easy to maintain and provides a big payoff!

Mama’s Monday Update and Almanac
Flash forward, and these days, all the Suk kids are out of the nest. Except for the son living in China, the others still live near their parents. But the usual phone texts back and forth are pretty mundane and businesslike. So Letitia started a weekly ritual e-mail she calls “Mama’s Monday Update and Almanac,” in which she updates the kids on any current family news but also checks out the Family Almanac cards for the entire week ahead. “Remember that time in 1990 when our car died and we had to take a cab to church?” was one of the events she reminded them about. She comments, “It’s been so great to remind them of the bond we have together. Usually there will be a flurry of Reply All responses where the kids will chime in and say, ‘Yeah, I remember,’ or ‘No, that’s not how it was, Mom!”’

    Unconvention Meals
    Don’t be afraid to break some rules about family dinners if it works for your family. Tailor meal traditions to your schedules, passions, and personalities. Paper plates are fine; distractions like television aren’t, as a rule.
    Indoor Picnics
    Moving the meal from the table to the floor can make the same old carryout Chinese food or pizza feel like a special treat. If you don’t have a picnic blanket, an old sheet works just fine and goes right into the wash afterward.
    No Reason Family Dinner Parties
    In the book New Traditions: Redefining Celebrations for Today’s Family , Susan Abel Lieberman wrote about the Singleton family and the “no-reason” dinner parties they have from time to time. The Singletons set the table with their best china and flowers, dress everyone up, and march the kids out the back door. The children walk around to the front, where their parents usher them in as honored guests. Sally Singleton told Susan that her kids get to practice their company manners, and they love these special nights.
    King Henry VIII Dinners
    When Ellie Just was growing up, her mom would declare a meal