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Family Friday Newsletter - 2 min read by: Finley Robinson

Today marks 2 years that I have been writing my newsletter for power-decade parents like you every Friday morning!

While 2 years is a reasonably long time to keep a writing habit going, it's a much shorter time compared to the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.

Last weekend I took my dad to Georgia. He turns 70 this month and we have dreamed about visiting Augusta National Golf Club together for at least 25 years.

For passionate golf fans (like myself and my dad) it is a sacred place. I decided life was too short to keep waiting for lottery luck and so we took matters into our own hands and made the trip.

We were fortunate to make our way inside on 3 consecutive days to see the course and watch the players practice. It was the trip of a lifetime for us to share. The reason it was so special was because it was built upon a decades-long family tradition.

My dad and I have talked, watched, and played golf together for 30 years. I love it because he loves it. Sure it could have been trout fishing or baseball or deer hunting or fixing old cars or woodworking. For us, it's golf.

Going to Augusta, GA with my dad was the fulfillment of a lifetime of togetherness centered around a shared passion.

So, in celebrating 2 years of this newsletter, a 25-year dream come true, I'm re-sharing my very first Family Friday email. It's a bit rough around the edges, but I believe the message still holds true.

Why am I bringing back my very first email? Because I know as a power-decade parent, you are establishing and creating traditions with your kids that will carry on for the rest of your life.

We all have them. They are our family traditions.

Experiences that become a part of the fabric of our lives thanks to great stories or meals or locations. Oh, and lots and lots of repetition.

One of the greatest joys you experience as a parent is seeing the moments that you love eventually embraced by your kids.

I grew up spending my summers on the lake. We had a multi-generation lake house that smelled musty and included an ancient oven that burned everything on the bottom.

My mom loved going to the lake and taking her two kids because she grew up going to the same lake house as a kid with her parents. Now, we take our kids to the lake and spend days on the boat.

It has become a 5 generation tradition and family identifier for us.

My kids talk about the lake year round. Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall, they are talking about the next time we get to go to the lake together.

Building traditions for our kids is important, and your season of kids is the total sweet spot. Repetitive meaningful experiences bring so much connection.

The problem though is the expectation that parents put on these experiences. We bring our own historical baggage or want the weekend or trip or meal to be exactly as we imagined.

When we do that, we remove the magic. We take the joy and bonding out of the time with our kids when the pressure of the tradition is greater than the presence we bring to it.

Don't be like me. Lower your expectations. Any family tradition will do.

I grew up watching the Masters with my dad. It was a four-day golf tournament that occurred at the same time, on the same tv channel, playing the same golf course year after year after year.

It is my favorite sporting event on the calendar. I look forward to it 51 weeks a year. Why? Because it brings me closer to my dad.

Sure the golf is amazing, but it was a tradition (unlike any other) that connected me with my father.

It doesn't matter what holiday, cabin, event, or adventure it is. Go all in and bring your young kids along with you. They will love it because you do.

... see you next Friday and enjoy The Masters this weekend 😉

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