I have to admit that our family home evenings with the kids at these ages can be down-right disasterous. I'll put a ton of work into a special lesson or activity, (and a treat of course) only to have it end with all the kids crying in tandem. There are moments when I just look at Jon and say under my breath, "What's the point?"
But we keep on persevering, week after week, because I whole-heartedly believe the prophet Spencer W. Kimball, when he promised that, "Regular participation in family home evening will develop increased personal worth, family unity, love for our fellowmen, and trust in our Father in Heaven. It is my promise that great blessings will come to all who consienciously plan and hold weekly family home evenings."
I also am inspired to keep trying when I think about the Chinese bamboo tree analogy by Stephen Covey. "After the seed for this amazing tree is planted, you see nothing, absolutely nothing, for four years, except for a tiny shoot coming out of a bulb. During those four years, all the growth is underground in a massive, fibrous root structure that spreads deep and wide in the earth. But then in the fifth year, the Chinese bamboo tree grows up to eighty feet!" He goes on to compare that to family life, and that we work and invest time and effort to nurture, and build relationships and that sometimes we don't see any results for weeks, months, or years, but that finally that "fifth year" comes. And it makes all that effort worth it.
Our FHE tonight was crazy as usual, but great. I thought I'd post a video clip of the kids singing. Celeste and Benny are trying to sing the second verse of 'I am a child of God', but then Charity was feeling left out, so she steals the show. Jon and I laughed ourselves sick!! She's such a sweetie. :)
3 comments:
That was a wonderful clip! I find myself doing the same thing when I am accompanying Anna - she will slow down and then speed up which makes for an interesting tempo! So fun, though. :o)
love it! most of the time our family home evenings are taking turns just closing our eyes, pulling a picture out of the gospel art kit, and reading the back or telling what the picture is about. for a long time I thought i was a huge lazy slacker, but my kids know all the Bible and Book of Mormon stories from this simple thing. it's persistence, more than anything, that makes the difference.
FHE has always been a struggle for me. Just recently, as you saw, we have been doing a LOT better. I am excited to see the new nursery manual. Sounds like it will work for FHE also. I have found that any time I can, using their toys to get my lesson across, works wonders!
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