Monday, June 4, 2012

Mother's Rest

 

 

Small children must have naps, and a bedtime.  They need a routine that helps protect their health, nerves, and well-being.  We take excellent care of our little ones, but spoil ourselves with too much indulgence.  In this modern world, we Mothers are sleeping less than ever. We are so occupied with a great many distractions.  This is taking away our ability to have sufficient rest.

When I was a child, we had never heard of VCRs or DVD players.  If we watched the one television set that was in our home (other than the small, portable for when someone was ill), we turned it off at a certain hour.  Our parents went to bed at the same time each night.  We children had our own bedtimes as well.

In Grandmother's day, the electricity was only used minimally. No one would dream of using the lights, or other items, late into the night unless there was some kind of emergency.  The radio (if the family had one) was shut off at a certain time.  Families would read together, visit, knit, play the piano, or play games.   It used to be that when the streetlights came on, it was time to wind down the day. Families had dinner, clean up, and a short break in the living room. Bedtime soon followed.

Lately, I have been so guilty of not getting enough rest.  I am staying up far too late because there is so much to occupy my time and thoughts.  This is making me less productive!  This is taking away some peaceful joy.   Sufficient sleep is a necessity, and we mothers must have a routine, just like the children.

Blessings
Mrs. White

From the Archives:

A Living History - Homemaking Links the Generations.

Make it Look Like - The Maid Was Here.

Morning Preparations of the Heart - Getting Ready to Face the Family.


Order My Books:


For Home-keeping Inspiration, - For The Love of Christian Homemaking

A 90 Day Bible Study, inspired by John Wesley, -  "Early Morning Revival Challenge






4 comments:

Cindy @ Fenced in Family said...

Oh yes, I can relate! I have been staying up entirely too late, which means I'm having a terrible time dragging myself out of bed in the morning. I know part of the problem is the fact that it's not getting dark at all until 9pm. I need to get into a better routine, though!

Emily Fay said...

We try to have more rest in our home - We love to read each night as a family ~ and we have done away with our TV. It has been so wonderful to have this in our life and see the closer it brings us together as a family. :) Wonderful post!

Deanna said...

Sweet Blessings to you!
Visiting your blog is always a treat to me. Thankful you are here.
d

Bethany said...

Funny, I was thinking some more about the comment I left for you on your post "Respite Before Church" about how I can't seem to get peaceful Sunday mornings. I came to the conclusion that I simply needed to go to bed earlier so I could get up earlier on Sunday mornings. I think that would pretty much solve the problem. Then I stopped by your blog and saw this post! You have excellent timing. :)