Underaged child who no longer wanted to celebrate family holiday?

I think it totally depends on the reasoning behind it and the situation. How old is the child? Is is for religious reasons? Is it that they think they're too old?

I wouldn't ever push a holiday on a child either. But say, my 16 year old decides he's an atheist so he doesn't celebrate the "meaning" behind Easter, I think it would still be appropriate to give him an Easter basket for fun.

If my 6 year old decides Christmas is dumb - well, yeah, I'm still going to get him gifts. I think my kids, 18 and under, while living in my house will always get gifts, candy, etc. on all the traditional holidays regardless of what they think:-P

If my 25 year old becomes a Jehovah's witness, I will respect that (even if I don't agree) and if he doesn't want to participate in holidays, I will respect that.

I would hope, no matter what, that holidays would still be a time for our family to be together and spend quality time (whether a deep meaning is believed behind them or not).

I'm all for tolerance and open-mindedness, and I can easily agree to disagree, especially on religious issues. That goes for my kids too.

Well, my family doesn't celebrate any holidays anymore amongst each other. Why? When I was kid, my parents hated each other and especially hated us. They blamed us for all their sorrows and always wished that we died. Constant beating was a norm for us. You might think the siblings would have stuck together, but we just went our own separate path and minded our business. I couldn't take it anymore so I told my parents to never celebrate my birthday. We stopped celebrating Christmas when I was 8 since we hated each other and giving presents felt like a knife from them. There's no point giving a person a present if you don't care for them. That's right, I hated my parents. I stopped celebrating was my birthday when I was 10. Every year for as long as I could remember, my birthday would trigger a full blown rage of my parents and end up with me getting kicked out. In the end, my family made a truth never to celebrate any holidays together and we still don't to this day. I might say happy birthday, but that's all...

Now that I'm grown, if my child told me he wanted to stop celebrating whatever holiday, I wouldn't care. I don't celebrate any holidays to begin with, and would only celebrate it for my children sake, but if he doesn't want it, then I'm done.

Well, I can answer from the opposite perspective, how would I handle it if my child wanted to celebrate a holiday I didn't, because that's how it is in my family. I'd handle your hypothetical situation the same way.

I was raised in a mixed tradition home. My mother's family is Jewish, my father's family is protestant. We never really celebrated holidays much and we didn't attend church or synagogue as a family. However, I did go to temple with members of my mom's family and church with my uncles and aunts. I was sent out of family respect. If my child wanted to start celebrating a holiday that was of a tradition I didn't believe in, I'd be fine with that. My niece has converted to a third religion and celebrates her holidays. But she also is with the family for the ones her parents celebrate. See, I don't think you can force belief. That faith comes from within, and lots of people celebrate holidays who don't really believe in their message or they go along with the motions. I'd help my child to understand that celebrating a holiday, eating a fancy meal with the family or giving a gift, doesn't mean more than that. I've gone to midnight mass on Christmas, and I'm not Catholic. If you attended a Passover Seder, it wouldn't mean you have converted to Judaism. Giving an Easter basket or Christmas gift can just be the gift, not true belief. There are plenty of secular aspects to most holidays. For that reason, I'd expect my child to be with the family, but I'd respect my child's new beliefs. There is no way to force our child to believe or not believe. If the tradition, say Halloween, went truly contrary to my child's beliefs, then I would respect that. Who needs to dress up. Don't answer the door. But coming to dinner, attending a service if that's what we do, then my child can come along. My parents had me go along to services because they wanted me to understand our cultures.

I'd do the same if the situation were reversed. I would expect my child to respect our family and be with us, but I wouldn't force belief, give a gift, or say a prayer that signified something they didn't believe.

If he continues to be celebrating the birthdays of acquaintances and kin, this means that he continues to be celebrating holidays. what's his clarification for no longer figuring out to purchase you a card or taking you out to dinner? have you ever asked him? i do no longer think of that's grounds for divorce---purely a sprint verbal substitute. perhaps he feels that the two one in each and every of you have been at the same time for see you later, that birthdays between the two one in each and every of you're no longer to any extent further that considerable.

If it's a religious thing let them be. If it's just because they think it's dumb and they are a little embarrassed then wait till they realize it's really not a big deal. Just give them time to mature. I wouldn't stop the holidays because he/she doesn't want to continue them. Just continue on and when he/she opens up, then let them in. Either way they will get to it themselves.

if your child has stated that they do not want to celebrate a holiday, i dont see why you'd still give them gifts etc associated with that holiday.. if they dont want to celebrate it, thats it.. they dont celebrate it. i would respect their decision.

Beat them to within an inch of their life.