As the summer season begins to change, I start to feel the pull to change the rhythm of our days. The day light is lessening. The morning air is lighter and crisp. The garden is drawing to a close, the bulk of my summer preserving is done and the shelves of our larder are full.
All of these signal a shift in our days.
I used to be a schedule girl. I would schedule out our days, trying to stick to a certain timeframe. Some days it worked, but anyone with kids can tell you that most days a strict schedule does not work well. There are often unexpected bumps in your day and a timed schedule doesn’t allow much flexibility.
After we had a few more kids, I realized that although our family didn’t thrive on a timed schedule, we did truly enjoy a consistent routine. This is where our family rhythm began.
Our family rhythm is basically the daily flow of our day. It allows some flexibility because instead of sitting down to start school “at 9am sharp”, we know that there is breakfast, followed by chores, followed by a little free time and then we begin our school day.
If someone is having a rough morning and needs some intentional parenting, I have the freedom to focus on that need. If we get into an amazing conversation at breakfast and sit there for longer then usual, so be it! It doesn’t mean that our school day is late, but simply delayed and still following the natural flow of our day.
What this method of parenting boils down to, is intentionality. I have many roles as a mother, but I feel that the greatest of these is tending to my children’s hearts. I won’t win any awards for keeping things moving along a strict schedule, but I will see fruit from building a relationship with my children.
Having a family rhythm also provides consistency for our children. They know that laundry is done on a certain day. They know that Sundays are for church and family and resting. They’ve come to expect that bread is going to be made on Fridays. There is a sense of security for children found in consistent rhythms.
Creating a family rhythm has been beneficial in so many ways. Some parts stay the same year round, while other parts shift with the seasons, but the familiarity it brings to our days is so valuable.