When we think of the word "culture," we most likely
think of the differences in traditions between different countries around the
world. How could we define a "family culture," then? A
family culture is the “normal” within the family that leads to certain
traditions within different families. Each family has a different culture
and it can really have a massive impact on the children and what kind of adults
they develop into.
How does a family begin to develop
and keep their own family culture? Some examples of the contribute of
each family culture are below:
-the goals that families have
(for each other and themselves)
-the traditions that are
created in a family
-the important, but often
unspoken, rules of the home
-what the family enjoys to do
for fun
-any values or beliefs that are
developed within and are important to the family
It seems to me that a family
culture is developed over time as the family learns and progresses
together. Certain parts of the culture have been prevalent in the
family since it began. For example, a
part of the culture in my family is that we always eat dinner together. I asked my mom and she said that it has
always been important to she and my dad that we eat dinner together. On the other hand, it isn’t part of our
family culture to eat breakfast together, as it is in some other families. Other parts of our culture included attending
church together every week and doing activities such as camping, hiking, and
boating.
It is also possible that some parts of a family culture could be have
negative consequences. Negative parts of
the culture could potentially cause members of the family to drift apart. The results of the type of family culture
that a family has are totally dependent on each family; something might work
well for one family but be bad for another.
As each of us thinks of our future
or current families, it is important that we consider what kind of culture we
would like for our family to have. In my
opinion, the best way to create a positive family culture is to establish fun
family traditions that bring a family together.
If you’ve ever heard your kids say “We always…”, that is probably
evidence of a family tradition that has been created in your family! A few positive traditions could include
holiday traditions, food traditions, and any other sort of repeated activity
that brings the family together. As I
look back on my family at some of the traditions that we had growing up, I am filled
with happy memories and gratitude for my family and the things that we
experienced together. Those memories
have really stuck with me. I went on an 18 month mission to Southern
California for my church, and the two Christmas mornings that I spent there, I thought
happily of the traditions that I had with my family for my whole life.
I can’t really think of any family
traditions that are bad, but an interesting thought came to mind as I read and
wrote about this topic: I believe that it is important that the family traditions
don’t ever lead to massive disappointment if things change in the family,
causing the traditions not happening anymore.
I guess it must be important for us to always acknowledge and teach that
things often change. The traditions will
have to be adapted as children grow and things change.
A family’s culture is ever-changing
with the growth of a family. It is a
beautiful thought to me that we have the choice to do our very best to create a
positive culture within our families. What are some aspects of the culture of
your family? I’d love to hear about them – comment below!!
-Britt
