I'll See You in the Morning

I'll See You in the Morning

by Mike Jolley

I believe that routine is such an important part of a child's life. It makes them feel safe and secure when they know what to expect. The bedtime routine in our house has only varied slightly over the last four and a half years. When we have changed it up, it has been one small thing at a time, as to not make any drastic changes. Or nights usually go something like this:

1. Bathtime - Very rarely do we miss bathtime. When we do, we're usually totally out of our routine because we've been out late doing something fun and special (Disney, Movies, etc.) and it's so late that the kids would rather just go to bed.
2. Responsibility Chart - Each of the kids have a Responsibility Chart in which they are accountable to each night. They usually meet with Drew and they answer honestly if they have completed each responsibility for the day. (This is where we give the kids their allowance from as well. Each smiley face equals ten cents. During the "Family Business' portion of Family Home Evening, Drew goes over what they've earned for the week, pulling out money for tithing and savings. We've found this works particularly well when our kids tell us that they want a particular toy. We ask them if they have enough money to buy it, and if they don't we give them the choice if they would like to save for that. Most the time they want to save and every few months, they've saved enough money to come away with some pretty cool toys)
3. Song - In going along with our FHE, I've been printing out the Primary Songs in the form of Flip Charts. The kids can pick a song they want to sing, or sometimes we'll work on the monthly Primary Song that the kids are learning in church (after serving many years in the Primary and realizing how many kids struggled with learning the songs one day a week for 15 minutes, I always swore that my kids would know each of the songs they were learning). Song and maybe a story or two and prayers would typically be the end of our bedtime routine, except that the last month or so, the kids favorite song to sing has been Scripture Power. So, a few weeks ago Drew and I were laying in bed talking about how cute we thought it was that this was their favorite song to sing. Then I said, "You know, we really need to start doing family scripture study before they catch on to what they are actually singing about!" Which brings me to.....
4. Family Scripture Study - As a family, we decided to read The Book of Mormon together. Though, because my kiddos are still little, I don't think I could hold their attention (or comprehension) for more than a few scriptures. So, we've been reading a few verses from the scriptures that correspond with a chapter from The Book of Mormon Reader, which we will read typically after reading the verses from the scriptures.
5. Individual/Family Prayer - One day, I imagine, we'll branch off for individual prayer and say one prayer a night, but, while the kids are still young and learning, we've been having the kids say one prayer each (though we never force them to say it).
6. Bed! - This is where we tuck the kids in and expect them to stay there. But, who am I kidding? Even after we've done all this, Kami will still be calling "demands" from her bedroom ("Can I have some water?" "Can you get the kitty and put her in here?" "Can I read for a little bit?"). And AJ. Oh, AJ. He'll pop in and out of bed for about 30-45 minutes before he'll actually fall asleep (I joke that I want to get a water bottle and everytime he comes out of bed, squirt him...then maybe he'll one day get the hint that he needs to stay in bed. Of course, it's totally a joke and I would never actually do that; but, somedays........)

Like I said before, I think routine is important and although this routine may look hassle-free here on the blog, I think any parent will tell you that the actually way things play out don't always go as you plan. Parenthood is hard. Some night are better than others, but, maybe one day they'll look back on our "routine" and be glad for it.