baptism and birthdays

[snugglekitty]

Parents have to make decisions for their children every day. What to eat, when to put them to bed, sometimes what to wear, sometimes not.

What I'm feeling curious about right now is this - what rituals do you involve your children in that they don't yet have the capacity to understand?

Do you celebrate birthdays? Would you baptize your child in your religious tradition? If you do these things, why?

Comments

[knot-frayed.livejournal.com]

Birthdays my kids understand, but primarily because it has been reinforced by family since the first one; and every friend also has birthday parties as well. Christmas is the same problem - it's more of a social thing than a religious experience.

One thing we had control over and still have fun with is the "Tooth Fairy".

Our kids tend to take care of their teeth, and when one comes out it's a time for celebration! (It so happens that I pulled the first one out of my first-born's head when it was loose. Had to celebrate or suffer the tears.)

They place the tooth under their pillow, and a shiny half-dollar coin replaces it overnight that goes in the piggy bank.

The other thing we tend to do is to say 'grace' before dinner. We are not overly religious, but we tend to use it as a marker for when the meal begins, and to acknowledge that food just doesn't happen.

No babtism, although we've been thinking about Hebrew school.

Another ritual we have is "Play with your food day". When the boys were super-small we would always say "Use your fork, it's not play with your food day!" The eldest asked one day "When *is* play with your food day?" April 1st is now the day when the evening meal is served without utensils, everything you touch you eat, and one is encouraged to make art with food before eating.
Quite fun!

[catya.livejournal.com]

Hm. Well, for baby-baby stuff, call it his first year, we did a welcoming and naming ceremony for Zach, and he certainly was present for chanukah candles and new years eve and passover seder and fourth of july fireworks and probably other holiday celebrations that i'm not thinking to name, and i think a wedding but not a funeral until his second year.

So, I think the real answer is, he's involved in all of the rituals that our family/household is involved in.

Is that useful?