Some of you may see the word “ritual” and think of religious ceremonies (e.g., a Catholic Mass) or significant rites of passage (e.g., high school graduation). These are rituals, of course, but the focus of my blog is on the importance of rituals within families. According to Wolin and Bennett (1984), a family ritual can be defined as a repetitive patterned interaction practiced by families in various settings. Wolin and Bennett identified three types of family rituals: celebrations, traditions, and patterned family interactions. For example, family members may get together to celebrate a special event like a graduation or a wedding. Family traditions may include taking vacations to specific destinations, watching family videos together each week, singing the “Happy Birthday” song at every birthday, or having monthly father-daughter dinners. Establishing consistent rituals associated with dinner or bedtime is an example of patterned family interactions. 

In my family, my father and I engage in a special family ritual once a month. We have what we call a father-daughter day! We spend a whole day, just hanging out and talking. We share what we learned over the last month, what we think of our other family members, what specific things made us happy or mad and how those things impacted us. It’s really a time for us to open up to each other and to listen. This monthly talk gives us a chance to better understand each other. Also, we learn to respect each other’s point of view.

Family rituals serve various functions. One such function is that rituals maintain meaningful interaction and contact among those who participate in them (Fiese et al., 2002). Meanings of rituals are shared and well known by individuals bonded together in the family’s unique microculture. Family rituals also are a symbolic form of communication, expressing family identity and defining the boundaries of the family unit (Wolin & Bennett, 1984), such as a shared understanding of expected behavior. 

I chose to emphasize family rituals in my master’s project as a way to build family strengths specifically in the families of emerging adults. My own experience has taught me that participating in special family rituals can evoke various positive feelings, bring family members closer together, and improve the overall emotional health of the family, even in emerging adulthood. This project, my blog, is a chance for me to share specific family rituals intended to help other emerging adults build their families’ strengths. Next week in my blog, I will share a family ritual that improves enjoyable time together, one of the six characteristics of strong families (DeFrain & Stinnett, 2008). I can’t wait to hear more about your experiences with family rituals!