Routines and Rituals

Rituals are mixtures of necessity, awe, comfort and celebration. They affect a child’s development and provide enough routine to help us big kids stay grounded. We older big kids cherish the connections to our roots they provide. Here are some of mine.

Toddler fun always included books. Mom must have read to me ALL THE TIME because I memorized a lot and ‘read’ to my little brother when he came along. Nursery rhymes are the foundation of those early readings and surface still at adult moments, usually comedic ones. Books - both entertaining and educational - line the corridors of my memories. I’m still lining those corridors.

Preparations for school each year started with additions to my wardrobe - always a new outfit or two from Sears. I felt fashionable in my white sailor dress with the big blue collar and bright red bow on my first day of high school and three favorite skirts helped me navigate through my sophomore year - all from the Salvation Army. Going to Sears was a family affair, but Mom and I shopped by ourselves at the thrift store. Getting new shoes, underwear and socks - ahh, those knee socks! - signaled summer’s end and school’s beginning.

Many memories mill around foods. Dad grilled tons of hamburgers, hot dogs and pork steaks on charcoal grills while Mom readied the trimmings with us kids running in and out. We were movin’ on up when we acquired a backyard with a big stone grill! Spring, summer, fall - the seasons for eating those yummy meals inside or out then playing with neighborhood kids till the street lights came on. Our family, too, had special recipes reserved just for holidays.

Saturday morning rituals remain, though I might enjoy my bowl of cereal admiring the panoramic view from the front porch rather than from the floor in front of the TV. That was probably a welcomed ritual for Mom and Dad - getting the kitchen table all to themselves at least while cartoons were on!

Some rituals remain constant; others adapt to life’s changing scenarios. All add meaning and fun. What are your favorites?