Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Please stop posting in the teen and tween forum if you do not have this age range at home!!! Get a life and move to the other forums. Thei traditions you have now with your seven-year-old will not be what still holds true when they are teens. Please answer only when you have helpful information for the people in this group.

People include 10 and 11-year olds in tweens. Why so angry? Flag the evil posts about 7-yr-olds and get it deleted so that it no longer offends you.

There are a lot of people in the tween and teen forum who believe the kids are out all night every night and all day on the weekends, and would never happily participate in a regular family dinner/game night/pizza night/brunch. They believe that none of these traditions are possible in the teen years unless they are 100% geared to the teens (like having their overnight sex buddies join you for breakfast).

We have 2 tween kids and as a family we rotate who gets to pick which restaurant we go to for Sunday lunch.

I like it because:

Everyone gets a chance to get the type of food they like.
DH and I try new restaurants this way with the family.
Lunch is usually cheaper than dinner.

Anonymous wrote:On Monday mornings my DH and I simultaneously yell "Do you have your recorder in your backpack for music today?!?!?!"

Does that count?

I like you! Sounds like us.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On Sunday nights, we have a family meeting. We all take turns talking about the best and worst things from the week and talk about schedules and concerns for the upcoming week as well as areas to improve upon.

Good god why would you do this!? Like we don't get enough of this at work...

It's not as formal and stuffy as a "board of directors" meeting discussed in the TED talk. We try to keep it light and fun.

I find that it encourages problem solving, such as ways to avoid morning chaos or disorganized rooms.

It's also a way to promote openness. I've been honest about how I've been in periods of grief after deaths in the family. That can help to explain why I might be distracted or in a bad mood.

I've apologized for losing my temper during the week and have been open to suggestions on how to prevent it from happening again.

Sometimes we make plans for future fun things to do.

We've been doing this for over 10 years now and find that it works. It's a good alternative to daily outbursts and nagging.

I like the introspection, unpacking, reflection and space to apologize. That is really inspirational.

We make Sunday dinner together as a family. We talk about and pick recipes through the week and then cook together. We try to pick new recipes and not something we have made before or eaten at home. It's fun!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sunday nights we go to the laundry mat and do all our laundry and eat oodles and oodles of vending machine food and read the ridiculous trash magazines out loud to one another. This started when they were little and we had no laundry in our apartment. When we moved we kinda just kept the tradition because for me as the mom it was easier to do 8 loads of laundry at once and I just prefer it that way. Whenever we are sick or snowed in and I run laundry at home the kids always ask when we "are going back to the mat". I like to think they like the time together but I also know the pop tarts and cheetos help too.

That's cool!

I agree!

Me too! This is the best one.

Friday is usually movie night. We usually eat out after the kids sports events assuming it is around lunch/dinner time.

We also do some specific meals throughout the year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On Sunday nights, we have a family meeting. We all take turns talking about the best and worst things from the week and talk about schedules and concerns for the upcoming week as well as areas to improve upon.

Good god why would you do this!? Like we don't get enough of this at work...

It's not as formal and stuffy as a "board of directors" meeting discussed in the TED talk. We try to keep it light and fun.

I find that it encourages problem solving, such as ways to avoid morning chaos or disorganized rooms.

It's also a way to promote openness. I've been honest about how I've been in periods of grief after deaths in the family. That can help to explain why I might be distracted or in a bad mood.

I've apologized for losing my temper during the week and have been open to suggestions on how to prevent it from happening again.

Sometimes we make plans for future fun things to do.

We've been doing this for over 10 years now and find that it works. It's a good alternative to daily outbursts and nagging.

Saturday morning pancakes.

1 hour walk/hike/bike each weekend day.

Pizza Friday and ice cream on Sunday night

daily- we try to have family dinner most nights.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Saturday/Sunday morning cuddles in bed with cartoons and soft toys. Yummy breakfast like waffles or pancakes or omelettes.

Sunday night family dinners with extended family.

You’re either being sarcastic or in the wrong forum. Which is it?

You do not cuddle with your 17-yr-old and soft toys?

http://www.keepthetalkgoing.com/cuddle-your-teen-even-if-hes-prickly/
"Teens can get prickly. Your cuddly little kid may have turned into a porcupine who bristles or rolls his eyes when you want to hug him.
But that doesn’t mean you should stop being affectionate. You’ll do it differently than when she was younger—but please don’t stop all touch. Teens need human contact as much as anyone (sometimes more, depending on what’s going on with their emotions)."

or cuddleparties: http://wmuk.org/post/cuddle-party-teaches-consent

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/evgkqw/how-old-is-too-old-to-sleep-with-a-stuffed-animal
"I wondered how common it is for people with crow's feet to still sleep with a stuffed animal. Should I be concerned or embrace it?
According to licensed therapist Robert (Bob) Ryan, a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) and Registered Art Therapist (ATR), not really. There are "thousands" of reasons adults might choose to sleep with stuffed animals. "It's a sign of a need," he said. "If you're alone in life and you have a big stuffed animal, there's somebody in bed with you. Sometimes it's very comforting to cuddle a pillow, and it might not be anything more than that."

As long as it's not interfering or impairing a person's ability to function normally in work, love, and life, Ryan thinks it's probably OK to keep Teddy around: "Is it keeping you from bringing someone home because you really don't want someone to know this?" he asked. "Then it's interfering, and it's time to give him up." "

We eat dinner as a family 5-7 nights a week. Card games. Tons and tons of card games.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting question. We are not religious so we don’t have any. I always wonder if my kids are missing out, but I didn’t have any as a kid either!

Wonder if any non-religious people have any?

Tradition and religion are two separate things.

Yes, but they are also a Venn diagram.

I'm one of the evil 7yo posters. I mentioned my 7yo because he particularly likes traditions - but I have older children too that fit into this forum, and the traditions involve them as well.

We have no traditions that I can think of except during Christmas, and favorite restaurants, vacation spots.