| Let's celebrate! |
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If
I were to ask you what the word ‘celebration’ means I am sure that
most people would say it is an activity full of fun and festivity, usually
commemorating some event. The Olympic Games certainly shows the
world what celebration is all about – from the screaming crowds, to
the medal dais, to the final ceremony with its massive fireworks displays.
The excitement, even for those of us watching it on TV, is always electrifying
to say the least.
We experience many levels of celebration in our lives. There are the big crowd events like the Super Bowl or Presidential elections. There are graduation ceremonies where great numbers of students receive recognition for their hard work. There is the celebration of troops coming back from overseas tours, couples getting married, or the celebration of a person’s life after they pass away. We all love to celebrate birthdays – especially our own. This is an occasion when we personally feel special because of the love and attention we get from others on our special day. Big celebrations and events are often expensive and preclude many folks from being involved. However, there are many ways we can and should celebrate within our families to build self-esteem and encourage camaraderie. Not everyone can be a winner, but how about celebrating getting a better score or running faster than the last time we tried? If we help our kids work out what they are good at and encourage them to set personal goals, then their performance improvements are certainly worth celebrating. Their reward might be to make the family movie choice, choose a holiday excursion, get a special treat, or be chore-free for a week. Positive changes in a child’s behavior, or getting all the chores done within a stated time, without complaining or being told twice, is well worth celebrate. We don’t always need a reason to celebrate. Families benefit greatly from celebrating one another for no reason at all…to recognize that each member is a vital part of the home. Here is an idea. Give each person a number. As their number is drawn, that person chooses a week in the year or a day in the month to be celebrated. All family members will express their gratitude for that person by telling them how special they are, or by creatively showing that person how much they are appreciated. We need to learn to be thankful for the good things in life and not concentrate on the negatives. Celebrating doesn’t have to include gifts or other expense. Celebration is an activity that induces a feeling of excitement, of well-being, love and hope. So as not to celebrate only the big events ask one another what good things happened in their day and rejoice in those. Life is short. This is not a practice…it is the real thing! Celebrations mean the most when heartfelt personal words are spoken. Celebrate one another often. If you have any suggestions about how to celebrate as a family, we would appreciatehearing from you using our email address at info@forefrontfamilies.net |
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WHOSE WILL WINS?
BLENDED FAMILIES:
PARENT OR PAL?
