“Sing to the Lord with Thanksgiving…” (Psalm 147:7)
In preschool, Edward and Alison had a book program called “Raising a Reader,” where the school loans a book bag to each child every week. One of the books that we read from the program was 10 Minutes Till Bedtime by Peggy Rathman. If I remember correctly, it was an illustrations-only book so I had to make up the words as I “read” it to the kids at bedtime. It was very entertaining for both the kids and me, so we made up our own “10 Minutes Till Bedtime” Routine:
10 – Bath Time
9 – Dry Up
8 – Pajama Time
7 – Gummy Bears (Vitamins) and Milk
6 – Edward: Brush Teeth
5 – Alison: Brush Teeth
4 – Play a Little Bit
3 – Bed Time Story
2 – Good Night, Jesus!
1 – Kiss Good Night
The entire routine takes about an hour, but we kept “10 Minutes” on the routine name in honor of one of our favorite books. I love the structure that the routine has brought to our evenings. Edison and I are better able to plan ahead, knowing that by 7 pm, we have to begin the routine if we want the kids to be in bed at 8 pm. I can sense the feeling of security that the kids have when they know what’s coming next. Well, they actually SEE what’s coming next because we have the routine taped up by the light switch in their bedroom. Moreover, it is a big help when Edison and I have evening appointments. Our volunteer babysitters (thanks, family!) may just as well refer to the routine as the “How to Put Edward and Alison to Bed” manual. Everyone is happy: the babysitter is not left clueless as to what needs to be done and we are comforted knowing that bedtime structure prevails even in our absence.
But what I love most about the routine is “Good Night, Jesus!” because that’s when we pray as a family. We say the “Now I lay me down to sleep” prayer and then we take turns in saying “Thank You, Jesus for…” whatever it is that we are thankful for that day. It is very moving when we hear about the kinds of things Edward and Alison are thankful for. Edison and I would just look at each other, as our hearts melted. One time after Edward got well from his allergies he prayed, “Thank You, Jesus for healing me.” And another time Alison prayed, “Thank You, Jesus for Daddy carrying me.” Surely there is power in their sweet and innocent prayers. No wonder why Jesus said that we have to be like children if we wanted to enter the kingdom of GOD! They are always in awe of every little miracle and are always thankful for the tiniest thing you could ever imagine!
In preschool, Edward and Alison had a book program called “Raising a Reader,” where the school loans a book bag to each child every week. One of the books that we read from the program was 10 Minutes Till Bedtime by Peggy Rathman. If I remember correctly, it was an illustrations-only book so I had to make up the words as I “read” it to the kids at bedtime. It was very entertaining for both the kids and me, so we made up our own “10 Minutes Till Bedtime” Routine:
10 – Bath Time
9 – Dry Up
8 – Pajama Time
7 – Gummy Bears (Vitamins) and Milk
6 – Edward: Brush Teeth
5 – Alison: Brush Teeth
4 – Play a Little Bit
3 – Bed Time Story
2 – Good Night, Jesus!
1 – Kiss Good Night
The entire routine takes about an hour, but we kept “10 Minutes” on the routine name in honor of one of our favorite books. I love the structure that the routine has brought to our evenings. Edison and I are better able to plan ahead, knowing that by 7 pm, we have to begin the routine if we want the kids to be in bed at 8 pm. I can sense the feeling of security that the kids have when they know what’s coming next. Well, they actually SEE what’s coming next because we have the routine taped up by the light switch in their bedroom. Moreover, it is a big help when Edison and I have evening appointments. Our volunteer babysitters (thanks, family!) may just as well refer to the routine as the “How to Put Edward and Alison to Bed” manual. Everyone is happy: the babysitter is not left clueless as to what needs to be done and we are comforted knowing that bedtime structure prevails even in our absence.
But what I love most about the routine is “Good Night, Jesus!” because that’s when we pray as a family. We say the “Now I lay me down to sleep” prayer and then we take turns in saying “Thank You, Jesus for…” whatever it is that we are thankful for that day. It is very moving when we hear about the kinds of things Edward and Alison are thankful for. Edison and I would just look at each other, as our hearts melted. One time after Edward got well from his allergies he prayed, “Thank You, Jesus for healing me.” And another time Alison prayed, “Thank You, Jesus for Daddy carrying me.” Surely there is power in their sweet and innocent prayers. No wonder why Jesus said that we have to be like children if we wanted to enter the kingdom of GOD! They are always in awe of every little miracle and are always thankful for the tiniest thing you could ever imagine!
Oprah Winfrey, who has been keeping a gratitude journal for several years now once said, “It is not easy to be grateful all the time. But it’s when you feel least thankful that you are most in need of what gratitude can give you.” True. It is no trick to be thankful when things are going well - fresh flowers from hubby, healthy children, squeaky-clean home, email-free inbox at work... But then there are rough times - husband is at home sick; can’t stay with him because work clients all seem to need something all at the same time; meanwhile both of the kids’ schools call because the kids started getting fever having caught the sick bug from dad; money’s tight but three different types of medicine have to be purchased. I have had my share of these “when it rains, it pours” moments. But having been raised in a family where our dad splashed an ounce of laughter in every pound of heartache; where our mom always showed us the beauty and reminded us of GOD’s hidden purpose in every unpleasant situation; in a family that had to make do with what we had - a lot... I would say that I had been trained quite well in being thankful despite trying times.
That is why I do believe in the importance of instilling the value of gratitude in order to raise happy, joyful children. It is my hope that with our simple tradition of thanking Jesus everyday, Edward and Alison may grow up to be skilled sailors through rough waters.
Thank You, Jesus for all the rain and sunshine in my life that has allowed me to grow and blossom into the child of GOD I am today. My life is for GOD’s glory alone!
6 comments:
Thank you Jesus for inspiring Ate Auds to inspire others with her heartwarming stories of motherhood and for giving Ate Auds and Kuya Edi the strength and motivation to instill Your love in their two beautiful children.
Thank You Jesus for Edison and Audrey who spread your love through their wonderful children. That in their own way they are making this world a better place to live in. Amen.
Hi Aud! I tag you :) Hope you'll take time to answer this:
http://boughtforaprice.blogspot.com/2007/11/go-by-pair.html
Your family vision is spectacular and enriching even to a dying soul. you remind me so much of myself when my kids were young. How they memorized the bible passages because that was the first book they learned hoe to read. Thank you for what you do with your children because knowing that they are our future gives me hope that there are still children of God to take over when we are gone.
God bless your family. Happy easter.
Nkechi
Thank you, Jesus, for true and lasting friends like Reese, Toni, and Nkechi! :)
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