Even though I am a long way from my Cajun home, I am happy to wish you a Happy Mardi Gras!!! If you do know what I am talking about then you just haven't lived. Hahahaha I am just kidding, but it is a fabulous celebration the day before Lent begins. As Mardi Gras was approaching, I thought a lot about traditions. Mardi Gras is a tradition that I grew up with, and it is something that brought a great deal of fun and excitement to my childhood. In school, we would dress up and have a little parade in the hallways. We threw beads and candy to the other students. We went to parades where we ran around and collected all sort of prizes and candy. This has been a wonderful tradition, and I am grateful to be able to share it with my friends.
Traditions can have a long lasting effects on a person, many of these traditions are not things that adults think about, but ideas and actions are being passed down to children everyday. My darling Mother, loves to clean. I know, it is amazing, but while I was growing up we had Saturday cleaning. We would all take a room and and clean for one hour and then we were done. It was pretty horrible as a child, but every time Mom would run over to the CD player and pop in the Beach Boys classics CD. She would turn the volume and just blast Surfin' USA, Help Me Rhonda, and the like. It was a blast! We would dance around dusting and vacuuming while singing at the top of our lungs. My Mom was not trying to instill a love of the Beach Boys, she was just trying to make us clean the house with little to no argument. None the less, I LOVE them and I still listen to the Beach Boys when I am cleaning.
Here is another fabulous Newton trait (I can't really speak for all Newton siblings everywhere, but I pretty sure that most of us would agree on this). My parents communicated about everything. It is pretty great and I really started to notice as I got a little older, but then it was too late. When the phone rang my Dad would answer it and talk. Then when the called ended, my Mom would ask who had called and my Dad would answer. I, however, took things to the next level. When anyone would answer the phone a "chitlin" (This is a nickname my father gave to his children. Mildly offensive, but also endearing.) would ask who called while the person was still on the phone. The "chitlin" would not stop asking until an answer was given. To this day I always bother everyone to learn who is calling even if it is not needed, annoying, and totally uncalled for! Yeah for traditions!
One tradition that can sometimes be passed without a second thoughts is body image. Our feelings about our bodies are also pasted down from parent to child. You may not think about the casual statements that you make about your body, but if you talk negatively about your body the children will hear and mimic.
In a study done by the Stanford University School of Medicine, 50% of sixth graders stated that they would like to weigh less and 16% dieted (Schur, Sanders & Steiner, 2000). These children listen to the adults around them and they mimic the things they see. They recognize that most adults around them do not love their bodies and are not satisfied with the way their body looks. I don't know if that is as shocking to y'all as it is to me?! They are so young, and yet already they have clear ideas and stereotypes. We have to be really careful about the way that we talk to others about their bodies and about our own. It does make a difference!
I was given this article and I thought it was great!
Go read about How to Talk to Your Daughter About Her Body!
I think this article applies to how you talk to anyone, including yourself! How do you think we can improve our conversations about our bodies? Don't hate! It has been taking care of you for a while! Lead by example and be positive about your body! It loves you!
(Speaking of traditions, do you like our door minion? He is now a tradition and gets dressed up for every major event!)
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