Catholic Exchange

The Importance of Routines in Parenting

Written by

Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur

in

I was reading the June issue of "US Catholic" and came across a book review of "The Twelve Unbreakable Principles of Parenting" by Ann Lang O'Connor. The reviewer writes that "O'Connor advises parents to follow a regular schedule and established routines. Then, when faced with the inevitable 'But why?' parents have a stockpile of predetermined answers such as 'Because we always go to Church on Sunday.'"

 

I couldn't agree more. Having rules and routines and sticking with them is much easier than making it up as you go along. It also limits arguing to some degree. My children know that on non-school days, they may have 2 hours of media time (computer and television). They have learned to plan accordingly by checking on the length of their favorite TV show or movie to see how they want to use their time. They are expected to be in bed at 7:45. They know this. While there are rare occasions where an event may make us push bedtime, they know that this is an exception. In fact, they will tell people that they are out past their bedtime.

 

Routines bring comfort and stability. We all like to know to a certain extent what each day holds for us in terms of our usual activities. Children are no different.

Comments

  1. Guest Avatar
    Guest

     One of my daughters has three sons. She and hubby are very disciplined on meal times and bedtimes. The boys are not exposed to very much TV, mostly via DVDs, and none on school days. The boys are able to entertain themselves for long periods of time, mostly with legos. They are a joy to babysit and they let me know when it's time for bed!! I have stayed with them for many days at a time while mom and dad have respite and and it is always a cake walk.

    Their parents persistence has paid off well.

    "Do not try to please everybody. Try to please God , the angels, and the saints. These are your public. If you are afraid of other people's opinion, you should not have become Christian." St John Vianney

  2. Guest Avatar
    Guest

    Patrice, I think you're spot on with this post.  Our routines continue and my boys are 12 and 15.  The 15 year old still bucks against "bedtime", but he needs his rest now more than ever.  Our routines also help to decrease the stress in our home since things run more smoothly in the morning when we're leaving for school.  We're rarely late or forget things if we stick to the routines.

Leave a Reply

More posts