Email of the Day

Dear Dr. Laura:

I was thinking about family traditions after hearing your comments at the beginning of your program recently.  

I grew up in a family with a lot of aunts, uncles and cousins, and they all looked out for each other.  My Dad took his widowed mother to church with us on Sundays, and Grandma always stayed for dinner.  My mother's widowed father would stay with us in a spare bedroom several months of the year (he stayed with his other children the rest of the year).  Every Friday night, we would play card games with an aunt and uncle.  We always had a good time with all these family members, and as an adult, I realized they enjoyed their time with us as well.

In our own family, we watched TV together on Saturday night, which were sources of lively conversation (and good popcorn!).  And most of the time, if my parents were invited to receptions or parties where children were not welcome, they just wouldn't go.  Instead, we'd all go out to a movie and stop for root beer floats afterward.  My siblings and I finally asked them why they didn't go places whenever we weren't invited, and I'll always remember my mother's answer:  "Because we just can't enjoy those events without you kids along!"

Needless to say, we always felt loved and cared for in our family.

Carla