Photo: @mariaroberts / Instagram
An adorable father and son tradition that will last a lifetime!
By Megan Quinn — Written on May 12, 2023
Everyone is prone to back-to-school jitters, especially when your very first time starting school. Luckily, parents can make the experience easier for their little ones by rewarding them with a special treat to hopefully ease their nerves before they head off to school.
One father is being praised for the adorable tradition he started with his four-year-old son when he began pre-k. Since the little boy was often anxious about going to school, his father decided to treat him with an experience the two of them could look forward to each morning.
The dad takes his son on a ‘coffee date’ every morning before dropping him off at school.
The father-son dates began when four-year-old Luca started pre-K. Like any child experiencing their first time away from their parents, the little boy suffered from anxiety. “Luca is very routine oriented,” his father, Lou Roberts told “Good Morning America.” “When he’s about to do something new, that’s the uncomfortable piece for him.”
Hoping to ease his son into the new routine, Lou started taking him along “a couple of different stops” on the way to school. One of their regular spots was a local coffee shop around the corner from them. Eventually, the coffee shop sparked a new tradition for the father and son, and they now stop in on their way to school every morning.
The stop also allows them to spend quality time together as father and son, with Lou calling it “the best 15 to 20 minutes of his day.” Lou’s wife and Luca’s mother, Maria, took to Instagram to share some adorable snaps of the duo enjoying their morning coffee dates.
“For the past 10 months, Lou and Luca have sat at a coffee shop every single morning before their walk to school,” she captioned the photos. “Lou never missed a day unless he was traveling for work. They started this routine because Luca was having a hard time transitioning into preschool, and although I wish the first few weeks were easier I am so happy they have this really special tradition.”
By now, the coffee shop knows the father and son’s order by heart, with a large cold brew for Lou and a “babyccino,” which is just steamed milk, for Luca. He also usually has a little treat from the bakery to go along with it. “Now that we do it, I can’t imagine not doing it,” Lou shares.
He plans on continuing the tradition next year, this time taking his daughter along with them as well. “My daughter goes to Pre-k next year, so I’ll have the two of them to do it with,” he says. “So maybe it’ll take on a new life.”
Establishing traditions and one on time with your children will actually ease their back-to-school jitters. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, these one-on-one traditions are also beneficial for a child’s well-being, promoting their social-emotional, cognitive, language, and self-regulation skills.
Overall, starting bonding traditions with your children creates a strong foundation for a healthy and loving family dynamic. It helps build relationships, creates lasting memories, instills family values, improves communication, enhances emotional well-being, and strengthens family unity.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.