The Children's Hour ( Bath & Bedtime Rituals)

Eventide holds some of the most precious and intimate moments you will ever have with your children. It should be a time for winding down and drawing close to one another after our busy day. The Childrens Hour is a special time when we gather together and get ready for bed. Here are some ideas to create your own.

Begin by having children tidy up their belongings. To make the job easier haver a big basket in the living room to collect things quickly. Then have the children take them to their proper location. We then have family scripture study and family prayer. Then we bear our testimonies which edifies us all.

You then can draw a lovely bath for the small ones with nourishing foaming milk bath. I like to add some lavender to help calm and relax them.

Let each child have his own bath basket to keep a variety of soaps, nail clipper,nail brush, toothbrush,sponges, powder, Deodorant & razors for older children). You can personalize the baskets for the children and their age group. Even teenagers enjoy having their toiletries all together in a basket. I keep all of them under the bathroom sink with their names on them.

Let each child pick a color, and color code their basket and belongings as well as their wash cloth and towel.

If a child has had a particularly hard day let them bathe with a night lite on to relax them.

Mother should be keeping everyone on track during bath time. Mother can use the phrase "It's getting time now." instead of hurry hurry all the time. If children are left on their own , no matter the age they will dawdle the night away. So mother must keep the assembly line rolling.

While older children bathe , Mother can tidy up rooms. Everyone sleeps better in a neat room. When children return to their rooms. They see that Mother has drawn down the covers , Pulled close the curtains and has put a dim light on.Their night clothes are laying neatly on their pillow.

If it is winter Mother can warm up the sheets with a warm water bottle or heating pad. Summer we can use cotton sheets, and winter is good for flannel.

After dressing for bed the children can choose something to wear tomorrow. Everything down to socks and the location of shoes.This well spent 5 min saves bundles of time and frustration in the morning.

Now is story time. A half hour until lights are out. This is a special time in the King home. As with Dinner no phone calls are accepted. This uninterrupted attention gives children a sense of security by focusing so completely on them. Then the story is ended the book closed and prayers are said. Children of all ages are tucked in and kissed goodnight. Then when lights are out, Mother can have a small chat about the child's concerns. Darkness seems to open up things that are difficult to discuss in the hurry of the day. A big hug and goodnight end the evening. And children can bask in the stillness of th house as they fall asleep feeling everyone is safe and secure. And I can count my blessings. All five of them!

~Sarah Ban Breathnach's "Mrs. Sharp's Traditions."