As working parents, inevitably we struggle weekly with how to balance the demands of our careers yet be ever present for our children.

As parents, we tend to stress about things that don’t matter all that much.

I read a parenting blog earlier this year and the author was naming 5 things that your children will remember about us as they get older. One of the things he listed that really stuck out to me was family traditions.

Kids remember with great fondness the “traditions” you establish whether it’s a weekly family movie (or game) night, a place you regularly travel for family getaways, the way you celebrate birthdays and special events or any other special tradition.

As I think of traditions my husband and I have started with our girls, the majority of them center on the holidays and making sure they don’t get sucked into the commercialization of Christmas. For example, the weekend after Thanksgiving we go out and get our Christmas tree. Then we spend the evening decorating the tree, while listening to Christmas CD’s, baking chocolate chip cookies and drinking hot chocolate. There is nothing like the time we spend together as a family, just us.

As my girls get older, I realize how quickly time flies and that one day, they will be grown and out of the house. There will always be demands at work, but those demands cannot be allowed to keep me from special moments with the children.

Consider the traditions you are establishing with your children. Create those special moments that they will remember. It doesn’t have to be grand or extravagant. Be intentional about creating some traditions that they’ll want to pass onto their own children someday.