Actually it is supposed to be Family Home Evening, but in our family it is definitely Family Home DISAGREEMENT. Family Home Evening is supposed to be a nice jolly time when you teach your children the gospel, play a fun game and eat a good snack. Everyone is supposed to be happy and excited for it. Everyone is supposed to feel good and happy and get along and be eager to learn and play together. Well, that is a beautiful picture but not the picture in our home.
Let me paint a picture for you of our FHD. When we get together, that is we have to seek out the reluctant people who cry or explain why they are too busy to come. Then we play the couch switching game-- jumping from couch to couch or hiding behind the couch pillows or jumping on top of the person next you because you want their spot or just want to bounce on everyone else. Then we fight over what song to sing and who chose last, but we actually do manage to sing. We may have people dancing in a rather knock other people over way, but singing does happen. During the lesson Adam jumps on everyone and roars loudly. Mom and Dad threaten and shout out the lesson. The older kids wrestle on the couch and yell that someone is touching them. Rachel just runs away and plays, that is if Adam isn't already attacking her. When Mom and Dad finally give up on gospel instruction and Dad declares (as he does every Monday) "This was the worst they have ever behaved!!", we fight over what game to play. We usually end up playing some sort of throw stuffed animals at each other game where at least one person cries and several people declare some else to be a cheater. When enough people are crying and Pregnant Mom has leaked enough urine to need a full bath we declare the game over and head upstairs for snack. Now this is the part we are all good at. Dad, Mom, Ruth, Kate, Johnny, Adam, and Rachel can sit at the table together and pleasantly and kindly eat junk food together. We do have an occasional spill. But sugar and chocolate improves our moods substantially and we can go to bed as a happy family.
2 comments:
Positively delightful! You should collect these, and submit them to Deseret Book. I know for sure that I can relate. Especially to the part of John claiming that they are worse than ever. (Do you get the feeling that sometimes the dad's are living on another planet - the way they are continuosly suprised by the reality of their own children?)
Hilarious!
You know Diane... I think that this is typical of all families that even try to have FHE. It even lasts into the singles ward stages in most places... I remember my brothers sleeping through the lesson, while my sister tried to tell everyone jokes and my mom yelling at everyone to stop yelling so that we could hear the lesson that Dad had just whipped up... yep... I think that it's pretty typical.
Post a Comment