Perspective

Bedtime - that dreaded word. It leads to a trying 45 minutes in most households with young children. At the end of the day, we're all a little overtired and I, for one, have usually used up my supply of patience. I am ready to get everyone in bed so that I can take a few minutes for myself to do things like clean the kitchen, shower, watch bad TV, and, of course, blog.

Last night, things were a little different around here. Mason (who is 6) took charge and said that he would get his sisters ready for bed. He got hands and faces clean, teeth brushed, and pajamas on. He then read books of their choosing. Rob and I were amazed as we looked on from the hall since we were not allowed in the room with them.

I stepped in to help with the final stages of the process as Mary Jane started to fall apart, and Mason got in his own bed to read a few chapters from his book to Goldie. As if all of that wasn't amazing enough, when I was tucking Mason in and thanking him for all of his help, he told me that getting his sisters ready for bed was his favorite part of the day. Why? Because he got to stay up a little later.

My latte today is more of a challenge, try to gain some perspective on everyday tasks or occurrences. They may be more fun than you realize if you think about how a first grader would view them.