New Year's Day
Our relationship with New Year's Eve was rather hit or miss, depending on the ages of our children. However, we were much better about New Year's Day. From the time our children were around 2nd-3rd grade, we began introducing them to the concept of goal setting.
Take 5 for New Years was a simple approach to goal setting using 5 specific categories, which included:
- social
- service
- spiritual
- educational &
- physical/health
Each person wrote their goal for each category on an index card. These were the
5 goals they would work on, individually, throughout the new year. Prior to our New Years feast, each person would share their 5 goals for the new year. Twelve months later, on New Year's Day, we'd review our goals from the previous year to see which ones were successfully completed and which ones needed to be "recycled" in the new year.
While the rest of us stuck to the basics of setting 5 goals each year, our daughter frequently chose 2 and sometimes even 3 goals per category! Without fail, the following New Year's Day, when we'd gather to see how everyone did with their goals, she'd always complete her lengthy list of goals. These habits have stayed with her, even after all these years.
Valentine's Day
In the Rodriguez household, Valentine’s Day was a family event, spanning more than just one day. It was a true celebration of those we love. Each year, on February 1st, I would set an empty Ball jar in the center of our dining room table. Then each child would choose their favorite color from a bag of SweetTart candy hearts or Valentine M&Ms. Once the jar was in place and colors were chosen, our Valentine’s Day Challenge would officially begin.
Our Valentine’s Day Challenge was the same each year . . . . fill the jar with candy hearts (or M&Ms) by February 14th. However, the hearts could only be earned by showing love to someone else. Each time one of our children did something kind for another person, I would add 1 of their colored hearts to the jar, while also giving them 1 of their colored hearts to eat. This provided a sweet reward, as well as a visual tally of the love our children were showing towards others.
To keep things interesting, there was a caveat to our Valentine’s Day Challenge; hearts could be removed from the jar just as easily as they could be added. If a child was mean-spirited, one of their colored hearts would be removed from the jar. This kept everyone on their toes as we counted down the days till February 14th.
There was always an uptick in good deeds as we inched closer to that date. With that said, it should come as no surprise that we reached our goal every year. So, what was the reward for achieving this goal? A fun family outing, which went perfectly with the long Presidents' Day weekend. On February 14th, we would empty the contents of our jar to see which child had the most hearts. The one with the most hearts got to plan the fun outing for the family. Since February is usually cold and snowy where we live, our children often chose indoor activities, like going to the movies or to one of the many children’s museums in our area.
In addition to the Valentine’s Day Challenge, we'd also host a Red Dinner with our children. This semi-formal event was held annually on the Sunday prior to Valentine’s Day. We often invited extended family, such as grandparents, to our Red Dinner as a way to show our love. As everyone gathered around the beautifully decorated table in their "Sunday best", memories were forged and relationship were strengthened. Our annual Red Dinner was the ideal way to put the love of family at the center of our Valentine’s celebration.
Love Notes were another time-honored Valentine’s Day tradition in our family. On February 13th, after our children had gone to bed, my husband and I would write love notes to each of our children. These simple garlands, made from card stock and twine, consisted of 4 cut-out hearts. I would write my love notes on 2 of the hearts, my husband would write his on the other 2 hearts. After our children fell asleep, my husband and I would carefully hang each child’s garland, so that it would be the 1st thing they saw when they woke up on Valentine’s Day.
As parents, we knew about the ups and downs in our children’s lives. These love notes were tangible reminders of our love and support for each of them.
