September brings us face to face with the reality that, for many of us, our summer schedule ends. Days that seemed endless, especially to children, now need to be structured and return to routine. There is a new focus to our waking and sleeping: bedtimes that were relaxed now have the pressure of helping children get a good night’s sleep before the start of a school day.
Our mealtimes, too, need to fit into a prescribed routine – or the chaos of differing mealtimes due to afterschool activities, sports, or new childcare routines. For the generations who played outside until the streetlights came on, or who always ate together as a family, it is hard to understand the “meals on the run” rhythm of today’s family life. We remember predictable dinner time, when we heard about each other’s day and shared joys and tears.
Can we find a compromise between our generations to find that timing sweet spot that satisfies us all? Here might be a few practical tips:
Family time need not be limited to the weekday. Sunday dinner – once every month or two – at a Grandparent’s house who lives nearby, creates a distinct and lasting memory of love for children.
In this way we steward our time together as a family, deepening connections with each other and with a God who desires us to love each other as He loves us. “You did not choose me, I chose you and appointed you to go and bear much fruit, the kind of fruit that endures.” John 15:16