Harrison County

Creating and Maintaining Family Traditions 

Program Date: April 10, 19, 23, 24, 26 and 30, 2018

Creating and Maintaining Family Traditions program Success Story

Strong families play an important role in the community and contribute to a healthy society overall. For example, positive development of a young child depends on a parent’s ability to nurture, teach, and provide. Despite daily stressors such as finances, health and emotional barriers, positive family interactions, including a sense of belonging, love, connection, trust, sensitivity, and responsibility, can contribute to overall well-being. Family traditions are just one example of how families can create a sense of connection, closeness, emotional safety, security, and stability. To help strengthen families, the Harrison County FCS Extension service offered the program, “Creating and Maintaining Family Traditions” to the general public. The program emphasized ways in which the creation or maintenance of family traditions contributes to building strong families. 60 total people participated in the program. Of the 60 who completed program evaluations, 56 noted the connection between strong families and family traditions and 51 reported intent to maintain or create a new family tradition as a result of this program. 

Specifically, 56 of the participants indicated that they felt that their family traditions provided a source of identity, 56 indicated that they their family traditions strengthened their family bond, 56 indicated that family traditions offered a degree of comfort and security, 55 reported that they think traditions connect generations, and 57 identified with ways in which traditions pass on cultural and religious heritage.  Lastly, 55 participants indicated that traditions create lasting memories.

As a result of this program, participants learned (or plan to) [include examples that are used by multiple participants and any others that stand out):

• “Because I have 2 grandchildren – I write them a letter every month and they write one to me –“
• “Being able to change some to allow others to include theirs”
• “Let the smallest family members help with this”
• “Making sure family know the history of family”
• “The importance of traditions to mental health”