Bed time routine!

This article was timely.

Last week, one conversation with some families was about bed time routine. The bedtime routine is currently, non existent in many homes. Some allow children to watch TV and go to sleep and some others by offering them music to listen to. Some even tell then stories. 

The art of bedtime story telling using text form pictorial books has become less common. 

When I was at working at CMC Vellore, I was privileged to be involved in two projects. One was to start a creche for infants and toddlers of working parents. The other was to create a book bank of bedtime stories which parents can borrow. Although this latter project did succeed only partly, some enthusiasts kept at it and now there are children's book libraries in two residential complexes in the CMC campus.

The be time story time is conversation time. It is a tradition time form activity to reflection. Most searching questions that linger in the m minds of pre-schoolers and early schoolers surface at such times. This private time that one of he parents can have with their children is a redeeming time of engaging at a heart level intimately. What does not appear in normal conversation can appear at this time when a child is in the comfort and consolation of a parent ready to listen and offer affirming conversation. 

It is also a time when a parent can communicate loving acceptance of the child and the child can share grateful thoughts towards the parents. 

The bed time story books if chosen wisely are also the means to help child to think morally, soberly and kindly. It is during such occasions attitudes and values are formed.  

Anna was an enthusiast of bedtime story reading when our children grew up. Now she practices that with the grand children when there is an opportunity!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)