Traditions

What makes a tradition? Various definitions on dictionary.com refer to a tradition as being something generational or passed on through the ages. When does something actually qualify as a tradition? Does it have to be years, decades, centuries? Sir Talksalot and I are preparing for our third Sporting Life 10k tomorrow morning and I wonder if it qualifies as a tradition or not. Especially since I know our years of finishing near the end of the pack are numbered. This year’s race falls just shy of his twelfth birthday. If coolness doesn’t get in the way of running with an old step-mom in the next couple of years, his athletic ability, which already drastically outshines mine will leave me inhaling his dust.

Fortunately, we have other family traditions to look forward to if this one fades. There’s the birthday tickets. Each child on his/her birthday receives a ticket to a show, concert or sporting event. The night out includes Mr. Husband and myself with a fancy restaurant dinner prelude. I love it! And I think they enjoy it as well. They get to be the shining star for the night with two captive adults all to themselves. We’ve seen The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Phantom of the Opera and Mousetrap. We’ve been to Can Stage, aka the theatre of the flying penises as my fellow subscription holder from a former phase of my life once referred to it, with Cupcake for both Hair and The Rocky Horror Show which I believe left me more embarrassed than her both times. We’ve also tossed in a Blue Rodeo concert, Cirque de Soleil and a Blue Jays game.

We have another great tradition we borrowed from a friend of Mr. Husband. When each child goes into Grade 8, we whisk them away for a 4 day autumn weekend in New York. This time they have us all to themselves from Friday to Monday through Soho, Manhattan, Greenwich and the Statue of Liberty. We go to shows, shop on Fifth Avenue and eat at funky restaurants. Cupcake made the mistake of wearing cargo pants covered in buckles to the airport which made a scene at customs and then got to experience the Big Apple with a nauseous pregnant step-mom who now knows the location of every washroom in NYC. We did however spend some time at Tiffany’s and did some serious street vendor shopping. This year, Jenesaispas, formerly known as "She Who Shall Be Nameless" informed us that she hated art at MOMA, but we did manage to win her back at a hilarious must see performance of The Drowsy Chaperone. This time we did some monetary damage to the Disney Store and Billabong in Soho. I’m really looking forward to November ’08 when Sirtalksalot hits Grade 8. We are planning a sports trip that hopefully includes Rangers, Jets or Giants and Knicks games, along with some sightseeing and cultural exposure.

Last weekend, I believe Mr. Husband and Cupcake inadvertently began a new tradition. She has shown great interest in the Foundation Year program at King’s College in Halifax. Daddy and daughter went on a road trip and checked out Acadia, King’s, Dalhousie and St. FX. They had a great time and we all got very cool university labeled clothing. If I were Jenesaispas or Sirtalksalot, I would develop an interest in East or West coast post-secondary schools, or at least fake one so that I too could get in on the daddy-child road trip.

I don’t know if any of these celebrations and Brooks’ rites of passage qualify as traditions, but they sure are fun to look forward to, especially with two birthdays coming up and We Will Rock You and Dirty Dancing coming to town.