by Patrick Mitchell
A simple change in our family’s nightly routine made for fun times recently when my wife and oldest daughter left the house to attend a concert in a nearby city, leaving my teenage son and I to look after the twin toddlers. The usual nightly routine would have involved my wife and daughter getting the twins ready for bed, but because they were gone, my son and I did those things.
Instead of the youngest children going straight to bed, they stayed up a bit later than usual and played with their older brother who tossed a blanket over them repeatedly, wrapped them up like burritos, and rolled them across the mattress as they laughed continuously and howled for more, yelling, “Again…More… Again!” I took some good pictures, and we all had a blast. Then I put them to bed only about 15 minutes later than they’d normally hit the hay.
Getting Started…
This month’s father-and-family activity involves capitalizing on the options presented when you break your normal family routine for any reason. Try the blankets-and-burritos trick, let your children read to you rather than you reading to them, or feed them cereal while sitting with them on the floor or the couch rather than seating them in their high-chairs. Anything goes if it breaks up the routine, if only for a night or two now and then.
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This article originally appeared in The Down To Earth Dad™ monthly newsletter for parents, schools, and programs.
