5 MINUTE FAMILY HOME EVENINGS

A few weeks ago I lamented in Relief Society that I was unsuccessful at getting the kids gathered for family home evening and invited the sisters to let me know how they were making it a successful event in their home.  Last week during our discussion a sister offered that she does five minute family home evenings.  I was excited to hear her story.  I felt like I could do a five minute family home evening.  I was pretty sure I could get the boys to sit for five minutes to tell a story or sing a song and read a scripture.  The trick is to be ready for that five minutes to start as soon as they all set foot in the room at the same time.  Think "herding cats." That's the best visual I can give you.

I tried it.  Promising only five minutes of family time and insisting they leave their nerf weapons in the other room we started with a song chosen by the youngest, next a prayer, then a scripture. So far things were going well. It looked to me that they were each engaged in what we were doing. Then it happened--they caught the spirit of family home evening. "Can we have our *one-minute of fame," they asked. "I want to choose the closing song." "No, I want to choose the song." "You can each choose a closing song. We can have more than one song tonight." "Can we read the scriptures?" I was so excited to experience what was happening. We were having family home evening. We were having family scripture study. We were feeling the spirit. They were asking questions about Jesus, the gospel, heaven, and hell, and when they were born. Twenty minutes into fhe their mom came home and the next hour they spent rehearsing their day at school and in fhe. We closed with prayer and it was off to bed. (The weapons going with them.)

I am so grateful for my dear friend who felt to share her five minute family home evening plan with us.  I am grateful I felt the witness of the truth and put it into action.  Once again, I let go of my strict vision of what fhe should be like and stepped aside so God could work his miracles in the heart of my kids. Parenting is easier with God as a leading partner.

* one minute of fame consists of me setting the timer on my phone to countdown from one minute. Each child gets his own one minute to do whatever he/she wants to do in front of an audience.  Some have read out-loud from any book we have in the library, some have taught a song, some have just stood in front of us making silly faces, some have shown us what funny noises their body can produce, and some have just giggled for 60 seconds. Usually before the closing prayer they ask for another minute of fame. If there is time we go for it, otherwise its off to bed.