Tradition Tradition...Tradition!

When I was in seventh grade, I got the opportunity to perform in a musical called Fiddler on the Roof. If you have ever seen the musical, one of the songs performed is called Tradition. In that song, they talk about each member of the family's role. The point being made that the roles are changing and their traditions, that they have long held so close, have begun to fall away. This really affected the parents as they had to stand by and watch everything they believed in changing, but the children saw the situation differently. They couldn't understand why the parents didn't understand them. See, the parents felt like their traditions were going to be lost. Traditions are sort of like our identity, it is what makes us unique. Traditions are a family's culture. So, in what ways do traditions define the family? Which traditions do we decide to carry on and which we do we leave as part of our past?
Around the same time I was in the musical, I met my future brother-in-law. Whether this came about because of the musical or not, I'm not quite sure, but whenever he sees me, he spreads his arms out wide and sings "REBECCA, REBECCA...REBECCA" (to the tune of Tradition from Fiddler on the Roof.) Though ridiculous, this greeting always brightens my day. After time, this greeting became a sort of tradition. Now whenever I see him, it feels weird when he doesn't sing at me. This is just an example of a funny tradition that I have, but there are other traditions that affect my life in a more negative or positive way. 
When you are born into a family, you normally are required to follow suit with their predetermined beliefs. One major belief often inherited is religion. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints or to others, I'm Mormon. Being Mormon has affected a lot of the decisions I have made in my life. As it is such a vital important of family and personal identity, religion affects traditions and habitual practices.
When I was playing field hockey, we all braided each other's hair before every game. Our motto was "look good, play good." It may have been silly, but this helped us bond and gave us the feeling that we could do anything. Rituals help create a sense of comfort and identity, whether individually or in groups.
Having dinner around the table each night has always been an essential part of our family identity. . We would cycle through the responsibilities of cooking and cleaning. Then, we would all sit down to a home-cooked meal and discuss our individual days. This simple act created a deep sense of unity, allowing us to create a stronger bond. This also allowed the family to coordinate schedules and rides, helping to lessen confusion.
Whenever someone in my family got into major trouble, it somehow turned into the blame game. "Well, he didn't take out the trash." "Well, she broke your favorite plate." All of a sudden, all the secrets that siblings were holding onto for each other would spill out. Was this the best way to handle the situation? Probably not. But hey, mom can't punish us all, right? Oh how dead wrong we were. Or when mom would ask who's doing the dishes, we would play nose goes. Or maybe the tradition of  how the oldest gets the front set in the car. Or are family tradition of never finishing anything...