The Importance Of Family Rituals

In our fast paced society, where families are ruled by schedules and agendas family connectedness is more about quality than quantity. Families, including my own, spend the majority of afterschool hours juggling sports, activities, and doctor appointments along with the mundane household tasks and homework. There are somedays I spend more time in my car toting around my children to their activities than I actually do in the home. In order to make up for my family’s hectic schedules and maintain our family cohesion we have adopted some family rituals. Rituals are repetitious actions or words that act as an expressions of unity creating meaning and a sense of connectedness. Rituals provide families with a sense of routine and structure which can help provide and sense of comfort and control for family members, especially children (Bailey 2015). Rituals do not necessarily consist of grand gestures, but small conscious practices

Some of our rituals were created out of necessity. Having a child with Autism and you learn rather quickly the importance of routine and structure. Many of our mundane daily rituals were created with him in mind to help reduce anxiety, like our bedtime routine. Every night the kids know eight o’clock in bedtime, even on the weekends. When it is time for bed, my son and daughter, will use the bathroom and brush their teeth. Once they are in bed either my husband or I, or sometimes both, will go their bedrooms for a kiss goodnight and to recite their nighttime prayers. Even though the kids have their prayers memorized, this has been their good night ritual since they were infants. Not only does this ritual provide structure on a necessary routine, but, also, gives my husband and I a sense of spiritual connectedness by passing along our beliefs to our