Repeating childhood traditions may shape kids' identity, belonging

A father takes his children to see Christmas lights because his own father once did the same with him. A mother prepares the birthday breakfast she remembers from childhood. Another parent continues a holiday ritual, reads the same bedtime story or returns to a family vacation spot that has been part of their memories for decades. At first glance, these actions may look like simple nostalgia. But psychology suggests that family traditions can carry something much deeper. They can preserve memories, communicate family values and create a sense of identity and belonging that connects one generation to the next. Research on intergenerational transmission shows that some parenting behaviours can be influenced by experiences people had while growing up. A recent meta-analysis found that parenting practices show modest intergenerational stability, meaning that people may carry some aspects of how they were raised into the way they parent their own children.