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Family Rituals Series
- Dusting Off the Family Table
- Win Bedtime Battles with Routines and Rituals (this show)
- Protecting Play Time in Your Catholic Home
- Make Discipline Easy with Routines & Rituals
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This is the 2nd show in a series on family rituals and routines. Last time I focused on the family dinner; today I’m focusing on bedtime routines and rituals.
Statement about the Series and COVID-19
As I explain at the beginning of this podcast, I planned this episode several weeks ago, before the COVID-19 crisis emerged. The pandemic has changed the daily lives of everyone I know. Experts fear the pandemic will get much worse before it gets better.
I considered scrapping or delaying the series on rituals because I didn’t want to minimize what so many people are enduring right now. However, I’ve decided to go ahead with the series, for a few reasons.
First of all, at times of crisis, providing continuity for our children as much as possible helps them feel less anxious. So, now more than ever, it’s important to stick to our child’s familiar routines and rituals even while much of our lives have been upended.
Second, quite frankly, I need it! Doing the podcast is one of my routines; it gives me joy and helps me to process my thoughts. I want to keep my life on track as much as possible. So, my approach to this podcast, for now, is to keep moving forward.
In This Episode
Here’s a breakdown of what I cover in this episode:
Background: I provide a few reminders about why children do so much better when we provide clear structure for them through our family routines and rituals. I explain how a child’s personality and identity is partly shaped through family and community rituals and routines.
Bedtime Rituals Help End Bedtime Battles: I explain why bedtime routines and rituals help to reduce bedtime battles. In short, children know what to expect and what is expected of them.
Ideas for Bedtime Rituals: I offer some concrete ideas for rituals in these areas:
- tucking in rituals
- talking rituals
- reading rituals
- prayer rituals
Bridging Rituals: When a child resists sleep or becomes fearful of the dark, often he is afraid of the separation from mom or dad. I explain why children fear separation, and how we can use bridging rituals to point our child toward the next point of connection with us. This may ease his anxiety and help him to feel held by us until morning.
Resources
The Gentle Sleep Book by Sarah Ockwell-Smith. One of my favorite parenting authors, this book focuses on sleep tips for parents of kids ages 0-5 years old.
6 Ways Our Kids Attach to Us. My podcast explaining Gorden Neufeld’s 6-phase attachment model, which I mention in the discussion on bridging separation.
The Secret Seven by Enid Blyton. Children’s book series mentioned in show; my husband read this series as a child living in England, and he read the series to all four of our children as bedtime stories.