Traditions

Michael and I are not what you’d call traditional people. We each have something of a rebellious spirit, and that makes us bristle at anything that so much as hints at being told what to do. And what is tradition but a dictate on your time? That said, now that we are about to be parents, I have started to wonder if maybe establishing some traditions might serve to give our kid some roots. I’m not talking about anything elaborate, just maybe sitting down at the dining room table for dinner on, say, Thursday nights, instead of eating at the breakfast bar, our usual evening habit. Or maybe Sunday dinner with the grandparents. Or maybe we have movie night on Fridays. I just want to give our kid something reliable, something he or she can count on no matter how busy the week was. There aren’t really any traditions that Michael and I grew up with that we can pass on. Oh sure, we had the annual traditions that revolved around holidays, but those aren’t unique to our family. This lack of experience in creating and maintaining traditions means I’m at something of a loss as to how to start one now. I suppose a tradition is anything you make of it. I guess Michael and I have a tradition of grocery shopping on Tuesday nights. But wouldn’t that fall under the heading of routine rather than tradition? See what I mean? I am no good at this tradition thing. I wonder too if when our kid gets older they will roll their eyes and grumble about whatever weekly tradition we thrust upon them. Is tradition with flexibility the key? I wonder.
Wait, now that I think about it, Michael and I did have a tradition when we first got married. We used to have pizza night. We were pretty poor back then see, and we didn’t get to eat out much. But once a week, we would order pizza (coupons were a God send) and watch TV. I believe back then it was the ABC Wednesday Night line-up, which if I recall correctly was “Dharma and Greg, “”Home Improvement,” and “The Drew Carey Show.” I think maybe “Ellen” was still on then too, back before she was a talk show host. That those simple Wednesday nights still stand out in my mind ten years later attests to the power of tradition, no matter how simple or seemingly insignificant. I bet Michael is reading this and grinning at the memory. You have to understand, this man really loves his pizza. And no, reviving pizza night is not an option, Sweetie. I’m pretty sure pizza night is responsible for the fifteen pounds I put on during our first year of marriage. Pizza night was nothing fancy, it was just us and Papa John’s and a blanket spread out on our tiny living room floor, but it was something we looked forward too, something to break up the boredom of the weekly grind. Given that I’d like to instill healthier habits in my offspring, maybe pizza night could be make-your-own-granola night. Maybe? Or possibly a weekly walk in one of my town’s several public parks would be the thing.
So suggestions would be appreciated. Anybody out there want to share your traditions? What is it that you look forward to every week? What traditions do you remember from your childhood?