Creating your own traditions

May 29 2009

Wednesday, on the way from the funeral to the office, I decided I had some extra time before having to be at work, so C and I made a pit stop at the Waffle House. C – who had one previous Waffle House experience under similar circumstances – has gotten to that age where it’s difficult to take her out to a restaurant, but I decided to chance it since WaHo is usually pretty prompt. And she did ok. She asked to get down a few times, but I managed to distract her by talking about her piggies – always a good topic of conversation at a restaurant.

Later, when telling Katie about how C had done well but had very cutely put crammed the whole top layer of hash browns in her mouth at once, Katie remarked that it sounded like C and I were starting a new tradition. Personally, I think it’s a fabulous idea. As she gets older, maybe C and I should make some special time for each other for WaHo runs. And maybe that can be a stepdad thing for me, too – sitting across the table from a loved one, enjoying some hash browns and coffee.

I think you have to make your own traditions. And they really have to come from the top down. I’m sure I have continued many of my parents traditions without even knowing it, but I’ve quashed some of them as well. I have always hated basketball, and I really don’t enjoy any live sporting events. My dad and I had a lot of one-on-one days centered on sports. But we did that because he enjoyed it. Sometimes he did things just because I enjoyed them, but those never became traditions.

I think it would be neat for – ten or fifteen years from now – one of the kids to ask about our WaHo runs. “Why Waffle House?” they’ll ask. And I can explain how I learned to love WaHo from college as a good place to get away, have some tasty food, and get into some great conversations, and how I wanted them to have that experience, too.