In the last six months, Sydney, my husband and I have covered ourselves with flour and raisins at challah-making class; danced, sang and stared in wonder at a guitar at Tot Shabbat; and read and re-read My First Shabbat Book (a gift from the fabulous PJ Library) more times than I care to remember. Sydney might not understand exactly what Shabbat commemorates, but she knows that it is celebrated with a special bread named challah, that we light special candles and that we drink wine from special cups (the word Kiddish is a bit beyond our vocabulary at the moment). And the best part? She thinks it’s all so wonderful and special, which of course it is.

Turns out you don’t have to understand the nuances of the Torah to understand the importance of a holiday – there’s plenty of time for that. I love watching Sydney discover her religious culture and traditions one step at a time. Can’t wait to see what the next step is – in the meantime, the “Shabbat book” is calling….

I recently joined the Open Tent’s discussion group for the Blessing of a Skinned Knee, though I first started reading and reflecting on this most interesting text when my daughter Orli was born 22 months ago.  For those of you that haven’t read it, the book is written by a mother/therapist/teacher that has undertaken a spiritual journey of sorts to find relevant solutions to raising children in today’s world using Jewish teachings.

During our first chat, all of us moms got a chance to voice a particular challenge that we are having in our own homes.  Some talked about completing homework, some talked about shyness, and I talked about sleep!  My fiery little one has gotten into the unfortunate habit of waking and calling for me every day between 5:30 and 6am.  ”Mommy, leche! (milk in spanish)  Moooommmmmmmyyyyyy!” is all I hear until I stumble in there, bleary eyed and slightly annoyed, preaching to her about the value of sleep and the need to stay in bed until dawn (which she obviously does not care to hear).

After this session, I went home determined to find a new tactic for dealing with this early waking behavior.  Someone had recently told me about a stoplight clock that is parent-programmed – a red light shines all night until the desired wake-up time, at which point it turns to green.  There is no noise, so if the toddler happens to still be asleep at, say, 7am, it will not wake him/her.  I went on the prowl and found an adorable clock online, complete with a little girl in a convertible car with a butterfly on the side, and had it shipped express.

When the package arrived, we sat down together and explored the new toy.  I demonstrated the red and green lights, and explained that she couldn’t call for me and ask for her bottle until the green light came on.  (It’s ok to wake up and even play quietly in her room, but no yelling.)  We are now 5 nights in – and she has waited until 7am for 4 of 5 of these nights!   The first morning, instead of “Mommy leche!” I heard “Light?  Mommy, light!”  It was like music – I haven’t woken up with such a bounce in my step in a long time.

This experience was a valuable lesson not only for me, Mommy, but for Orli as well.  She is giving me a little sanity to wake up and have a cup of tea or a little cereal before our day begins, and she is learning how to tell when it is time to get up.  She is also being given the freedom to play on her own until I come to her, which I always do.  Now I’m just a little more rested (at least for the next 5 weeks until the new baby is born).  :)

This year, my husband and I have taken to lighting the menorah and singing the prayers nightly, hopeful that our 17-month-old bundle of energy pauses long enough to notice the flickering flames. We delight in watching her rip into presents, play with dreidels and nosh on latkes. She most likely won’t remember kicking off the holiday with Gima & Gramps on Friday night (when Gima decorated the house for the first time in some 20 years) or closing it out with Nana & Papa later this week, but somehow that doesn’t matter. What does matter is that we’re doing it – and creating traditions along the way. So much of my Jewish identity revolves around family traditions and cultural memories – I love the idea of sharing them and creating new ones with our daughter.
One wonderful thing about starting traditions is that they can easily be amended to your interests. A budding foodie? Kick off annual latke making. A devoted shopper? Encourage the munchkins to share in the delight of gift giving by helping pick out presents for parents, siblings and cousins. A big reader? Dig into any and every kid-friendly Chanukah book out there and retell the story in your own words with your toddler, tween or teen. Artists can create their own menorahs or decorate the house with homemade decorations. Channel your instincts and interests and let the fun begin.

The kitchen is a perfect entry into Judaism for our growing family. Recently, our daughter and I “cooked” a kugel together. I measured, poured and prepped the ingredients then she stirred the noodles. All along the way we talked about what we were making, how mommy got the recipe from nana and how we were going to eat the kugel with daddy later. We practiced new words, worked on fine & gross motor coordination, soaked up some of our Ashkenazic heritage and had a great hour together. As she gets older I know our culinary sessions will become more interactive, fun and educational – for both of us. And one day my daughter will have the same generational Jewish memories that I have.

Interested in starting a few traditions of your own? Click here for the Open Tent’s list of favorite food blogs and recipe sites. Have a recipe you’d like to share? Please comment below…

Before Sydney, my husband and I were “twice a year” temple people – Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur. We celebrated Passover with our extended families and lit Chanukah candles with our nephews before digging into mounds of gifts. I think we spent a total of 10 hours max at temple in 2007.

Lately, things seem to have changed. Sydney and I visit temple weekly for interactive (albeit non-religious) mommy & me classes; I happily sit on the tots committee of the Open Tent; and I’ve been asked to write this first tots blog post. Over the past year, my husband and I have participated in Mitzvah Day and committed to attending Tot Shabbat and regular Open Tent activities at the Miami Children’s Museum. Rabbi Pomerantz is now in my address book. We’ve met wonderful families and learned a ton about introducing Judaism into our homes. We’ve lit menorahs, blessed challah and had our first Seder with Sydney.

Perhaps most importantly, we’ve begun to incorporate religion into our regular existence. It’s not something we think about twice a year anymore. Judaism doesn’t dominate our lives or dictate our weekends, but we are continuously enjoying the cultural and religious aspects of being Jews in 2009 in Miami – Shabbat on the Beach, matzah pizza making with Chef Michael Jacobs, family outings with new friends and more. We look forward to many more experiences throughout the year and hope you join us!

About the Author:
Valerie Schimel is a freelance journalist specializing in parenting, health and lifestyle. She is the founder and editor of MiamiMunchkins.com, Miami’s leading destination for events, products and information for moms, dads & kids 4 and under. Valerie lives on Miami Beach with her husband Adam and their daughter Sydney.