VALERIE SCHULTZ: Recognize the value of ritual

When our family grew to include four young kids, my husband and I realized that if we did something more than once, it became a tradition. It seemed we couldn’t not do it after we’d done it twice. This applied to holidays, restaurant choices, camping sites, the first day of school, practical jokes, to name a few.

Even if they were unplanned, the traditions became rituals. They were expected to be reenacted impeccably. Our memories of life with all our little birds in the nest are tinged with the sweet nostalgia of these family rituals. And I suspect we are not unique.