Author Unknown

The time you spend with your children is an investment into who they will be. As parents we must spend as much time with our children as possible in the first 10-12 years of their lives, because as teenagers they begin to distance themselves from you. I came across this poem and thought I'd share it with you........

Childhood Doesn't Wait 
I was sitting on a bench while in a nearby mall, when I noticed a young mother with two children who were small. 
The youngest one was whining, "Pick me up," I heard him beg, but the mother's face grew angry as the child clung to her leg.  "Don't hang on to me," she shouted, as she pushed his hands away, I wish I'd had the courage to go up to her and say... 

"The time will come too quickly when those little arms that tug, won't ask for you to hold them or won't freely give a hug. "The day will sneak up subtly just as it did with me, When you can't recall the last time that your child sat on your knee. "Like those sacred, pre-dawn feedings when we cherished time alone.  Our babies grow and leave behind those special times we've known. "So when your child comes to you with a book that you can share, Or asks that you would tuck him in and help him say his prayer... "When he comes to sit and chat or would like to take a walk, Before you answer that you can't `cause there's no time to talk" Remember that all parents learn so many times too late, That years go by too quickly and that childhood doesn't wait.

"Take every opportunity, if one should slip away.  Reach hard to get it back again, don't wait another day."  I watched that mother walk away her children followed near, I hope she'll pick them up before her chances disappear

CREATING FAMILY ROUTINES

Children like security, and one of the ways they feel secure is to have things they can count on. Maintaining normal daily routines as much as possible can make it easier for children to deal with the stress of events such as the birth of a new child, divorce, or the illness or death of a family member.

Benefits of Routine:

• Your child will feel safe and secure. Stress in a family is often first noticed by the disruption of family routines. It’s an early warning system suggesting that something is amiss. During turbulent times, routines are the path to stability.
•  Encourages cooperation. When your child knows what to expect, they feel they have more control over the situation which can result in greater cooperation.
•  It is comforting. Consistency is reassuring to both children and adults.
•  Provides predictability. Your child will find security and stability through routine
•  Helps with discipline. Children argue less about a consistent set of actions.

Morning Routine - Having a routine in the morning can make the difference between total chaos and a smooth start to the day. Everyone in the family will benefit when the first hour of their day is calm. The day should start with an established wake-up time that gives everyone enough time to get everything done without rushing.

Dinner Routine - Don't just gobble the food down in front of the TV set. Turn it off!  Sitting down to a family meal can be a wonderful time in the day. It can give you the chance to hear about everyone's day and reinforce the family unit. Even if you realistically can't all have a sit-down dinner together every night, try to establish several nights a week that are meant for family dinners

Bedtime Routine - Why do kids resist going to bed early when their parents are dying for it?  Establishing and maintaining a bedtime routine is worth the struggle. Bedtime should be the same every night, and the routine should start 30 to 45 minutes before lights out (getting into pajamas, brushing teeth, a drink of water, a story, a hug, goodnight)

Enjoyable Routine - As a family, you might make pancakes every Sunday for breakfast. Each child could be given a task: help measure the flour, crack the eggs, or stir the batter.  By having an enjoyable routine on Sunday mornings or another time in the week, you will be creating wonderful memories for your children, as well as providing them with something to count on.

There is no rule about how many or what kind of routines you should have. What works well for one family may be too restrictive for another. But if you are feeling like you can’t find time in the day to do the things you want with your children, then some new routines might help.

Interesting fact: Research has shown that routines have health benefits: children living in families who maintain regular family routines have fewer respiratory infections, and those they have tend to be shorter. There is still some conjecture about why. It might be that the routines contribute to healthy habits like washing hands which prevent transmission of germs that can cause illness, or that they help protect children against the kind of stress that suppress the immune system.