A Lasting Legacy: How to Pass Down Wisdom and Traditions to Your Kids
As we continue our talks on crafting your dream life I felt it important to talk about a lasting legacy. A legacy is what you are leaving your kids. Oftentimes that means money, but for me, it means the traditions, and the wisdom I want them to have.
Legacy has been one of my goals for the past couple of years. However, this year, I realized that I wanted more than to just prepare for my eventual passing. I know, it sounds depressing, and honestly, it is one of the hardest goals I have ever worked on. But, it isn’t just about the financial security you want to leave for your kids. That lasting legacy is about so much more – the memories.
What is a Lasting Legacy?
If you are asking yourself what a lasting legacy is, that is great! It is the first step. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you exactly what it will be for your family, because each family is unique. While that is amazing and awesome, it can be challenging to understand what kind of legacy you want to leave for your own kids.
For me, this lasting legacy is a lot of traditions and memories. We have certain things that we do every year. They are simple, small things, but they are our traditions. And having those traditions year after year creates a sense of excitement and connection in my family. They don’t have to be big, only personal to you.
What are those little traditions that you keep currently? Have you considered how this will impact your legacy with your kids? Take a piece of paper, grab your kids, and make a list of these things. Sometimes what our kids notice are not the things that we ourselves would put on the list. As parents, we often think about the big events, but I bet if you ask your kids what they love it is all of the little things.
Some of my kids’ favorite traditions are:
- apple picking
- writing and performing a Christmas play for our family
- Advent traditions
- going to the fair
- s’mores in the summer
Are these the big, grand trips that we want to also take? No, instead it is all of the little things that make up the core memories in our kids and help to create that lasting legacy we want.
How do you create a Lasting Legacy?
Brainstorming is a great place to start. Like I said above, sit down with your kids and listen to the things that they remember. Again, it may not be what you think of when you think about the legacy you want to leave. But, remember, the legacy is for your kids, not for you, so lean into the traditions that your kids are remembering.
Also, you want to impart wisdom. As homeschoolers, we have so many opportunities to breathe wisdom into our kids’ daily lives. Don’t take that for granted! Take the time to help them figure out the worldview that you want them to have. It is OK to take a break from the books and focus on life skills. It is OK to have those conversations late into the night with your teens even though that means you all will most likely have a late start the next day.
The Bottom Line
We are only given this one life. And because of that, we need to live it to the fullest, but also encourage our kids to live their lives to the fullest as well.
It is easy for us to always be in planning mode. You need to get to the next thing! Sometimes when you have that growth mindset, you aren’t able to live in the moment. But, it is the little moments that make up the biggest memories for our kids. If you think back on Christmas past, what are the things that stand out to you? Is it the presents that you received? Or is it the memories of the traditions you had with your own parents when you were young?
Legacy as a goal category is incredibly broad – it can be for future planning, for finances, and for wisdom and traditions. But, don’t forget to lean into those little moments because those often are the most remembered.
