Bedtime is my favorite time of day. I look forward to bedtime on those days where I have lost all control and my kids have stopped listening. I look forward to bedtime because my kids will be asleep and I can have some quiet time. I look forward to bedtime so I can talk to my husband, have a snack, and catch up on TV shows. I love bedtime for so many reasons but, to be honest, my favorite part of bedtime aren’t any of those reasons.
I love the routine of our bedtime. Not the routine of putting on pajamas, cleaning up, or brushing teeth, but what happens after all of those. Once the kids are all ready for bed we all kneel down and say a family prayer together. My oldest son always insists on having his little brother sit on his lap and my daughter always sits on my lap. Then they usually fight over who gets to say the prayer, which is a good fight to have. We always end up saying 2 prayers so nobody feels left out. Then we give everyone hugs and kisses before heading upstairs for bed. The hugs usually turn into wrestling matches with lots of laughing. After that they usually grab the football and start chasing each other around the house laughing. Then we finally stop all the fun and head upstairs to read books. My daughter always yells down the stairs “I love you Dad” and giggles uncontrollably. Then lastly, my oldest son tells my youngest son “Goodnight Asher Bologna Sandwich” because he thinks it is hilarious.
This happens EVERY night. The exact same thing EVERY night. It doesn’t matter if we had a good day or a bad day, we still do it. It doesn’t matter if the kids weren’t listening all day and sat in too many time outs or if they were mad at me for not letting them have dessert because they didn’t finish their dinner, we still do the routine. We all come together at the end of the day and pray and laugh together.
Our routine only lasts about 10 minutes but those 10 minutes make our family stronger. I cherish those 10 minutes of smiles every night. Best part of my day.
