One of the most beautiful aspects of parenting is you can craft young minds, so they will be responsible and considerate adults. In fulfilling this parenting responsibility, you will need to educate them about our culture.

What is Culture?

To put simply, culture is the way of life of the people. It includes traditions, customs, beliefs and ideas of a particular society. As Sri Lankans, we are bestowed with a rich culture and tradition shaped by many religions over thousands of years.

Importance Of Culture

Culture is what distinguishes us from rest of the world and makes us unique as Sri Lankans. Frequently, children are blown away with many attractions and influences most of which are unimportant and futile. But, as a child grows into a young adult, culture serves as a guide to differentiate the good and the bad. Moreover, culture is transmitted from one generation to another only if we gift it to our children, making it an important parenting responsibility.

 How To Connect Your Children With Culture In Sri Lanka?

·         Practice At Home – The best place to teach about the importance of culture is home. Teach them the value and the benefits of culture and the golden rules of our ancestors. It’s not about accepting all the things, but understanding the traditional wisdom. Then filtering as to what should be applied to our lives.

·         Shape Thinking – Let your children know that we, as Sri Lankans have a splendid culture. Teach them that cultural practices and believes are there to add more meaning to our lives.

·         See It Through – Young minds are curious. Rather than blindly following what they are preached about, they will want to know the meaning of customs and rituals. Do not stop at telling them what to do; explain the reasons and logic behind them.

·         Take Pride – Encourage your kids to learn about our history. Whenever possible, relate folk stories and songs, jathaka stories or other interesting pieces of literature gifted to us by our forefathers. Teach them to respect the traditional knowledge of the people who have walked this earth, generations before us.

·         Allow For Changes – Culture is not a thing of past, and it will never be. A fascinating thing about culture is that it is dynamic and changing. Therefore, traditions, social norms, values and morals all change from time to time to meet with the demands of life and the society. As far as it is not detrimental to us or the others around us, changes are a good sign of a lively and vibrant culture.

·         Share With Peers – True beauty of tradition is surfaced when it is practiced as a whole.

As you educate your children about culture in Sri Lanka, remember to encourage free and independent thinking. Give them courage to go against the tide when necessary.