If you want to strengthen the faith-life of your family consider strengthening your bedtime routine. When your children grow up how do you want them to remember you? The art of bedtime can easily be lost in the fast-paced world we live in. Catholic families are invited to discover the rhythm, rest, and peace in a well-run loving Catholic home. One of the most impactful ways to pass on the faith and strengthen family bonds is through a consistent, meaningful bedtime routine. So as summer is around the corner I hope these guiding pillars help your family to navigate all the different seasons of your life! Our goal is not to be perfect but rather to be faithfully trying our best!
We encourage families to embrace this simple yet powerful rhythm:
Ending our day with prayer, peace, presence, and purpose.
I want to help Catholic parents improve their bedtimes routines and make sure it isn’t just about brushing teeth and getting ready to sleep. I know how hard it is and I can share that after many years of “trying” I have learned a few lessons along the way!
Helpful Tips from a Catholic Parent based on the 4 P’s:
Peace – Create a peaceful environment in your heart and home.
Dim the lights, lower the volume of the home and your own voice, and invite the Holy Spirit to calm any anxiety or restlessness. Peace begins in the heart and sets the tone for restful sleep and spiritual trust. Bed time is not a good time to bring up, “our bucket list of what is wrong, but rather focus on the fostering a peaceful and wonderful encounter with God and others.” Now is the time to allow your body to start t slow down for a new day! Of course we need to do our “bedtime routine” of brushing teeth, bathing and saying goodnight, but most importantly lets keep the “peace in the home” no matter how frustrated we might become. If you want to keep the peace in the home, make sure you allow yourself enough time to put the kids to bed in a loving way!
St. Margaret Mary invites us to welcome Jesus and to experience a “paradise of peace” in our heart. Only Jesus can offer us such an amazing gift, even in difficult times. I suggest turning off all screens long before bedtime so that the peace of Christ can be seen and felt in your home.
Prayer – Invite Jesus in.
Family prayer is the perfect way to end the day!Family prayer, even just a few moments, brings grace. Whether it’s a spontaneous prayer, the Rosary, or the Act of Contrition, these nightly moments root the family in God. Fr. Payton once said, “The family that prays together stays together.” I can recall my own parents praying with me and now I see the value of this act with my children. I consider family prayer to be like a “window to the soul” of a child. You get to hear what they are carrying in their heart and they often share what joys, sorrows and difficulties they want to pray to Jesus for.
Consider entrusting your home to the protective and loving heart of Jesus through the Enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Now is the perfect time to entrust your greatest gift, your family and your home by not only exposing and honoring the image like Jesus told St. Margaret Mary Alacoque so that “we can be blessed” but also taking it one step further by building a covenant of love with Jesus through this over 100 year old practice of the Enthronement. The Enthronement is a world-wide known practice where we ask Jesus to be the King, Lord, Savior and Friend of the family and many generations of Catholics have experienced new graces!
Presence – Be present to your children.
Active listening, shared gratitude, storytelling, and prayer intentions all build connection. Reading faith-based stories or sharing a saint’s life teaches children not just how to go to bed—but how to rest in God.
This is one reason why I wrote Saints of the Sacred Heart, a children’s book that comes out early next month that focuses on not only learning about inspiring Saints who had a great love for the Sacred Heart but I want to foster great conversation between the reader/parent and the child revolving around the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Reading books with your children and having meaningful conversations are a great way to strengthen your relationship and grow closer to Jesus.
Parents, put your phone down, and look into the eyes of your children, hug them and tuck them into bed. What are some of your favorite Catholic books to read to your children?
Purpose – End the day with intentional love.
Bedtime gives closure to the day, reaffirms your unconditional love, and reminds each child that tomorrow is a new beginning. For Catholic families, this also becomes a moment of entrusting everything to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and our Loving Mother.
I have seen the wonderful fruits of daily family meals (like even eating breakfast together) and prayer in my home and encourage you to do the same. Offer your children a small blessing and tell them that “you love them, and so does the Lord.” remind them that they are a child of God each day!
Fostering faith can not only lead to more secure children but help them to be a light to their peers. We must start sharing the Catholic faith with the peace and love of Christ in our hearts so that all Catholic families look different from the secular world!
