by Albert Rossi, Ph.D., St. Vladimir's Seminary
One of the more regular times of "Letting the children come" to God is bedtime. Often stories and prayers at bedtime can be relaxed, non-competitive time with children. When everything is right, bedtime can be a time when the unconditional love of parent for child is almost tangible. Children are usually tired and sometimes less frenetic. It also goes without saying that some nights seem more like thinly veiled chaos. But, hopefully, most nights are more peaceful.
Going to sleep for children happens gracefully only within an elaborate ritual. This is the liturgy of going to sleep and is not totally unlike other liturgies. Father Alexander Schmemann spoke of the Eucharist beginning with the long ritual of getting dressed for Church and continuing through the trip to Church and all the beautiful liturgy preceding Communion. In a similar way, children go to sleep after intricate ceremony. This usually includes taking a bath, putting on pajamas, brushing their teeth, kissing everyone in the household goodnight, hearing a story, saying prayers, getting tucked in, and for little ones, a Linus blanket and Teddy for special security. This is the liturgy of bedtime. It's a tender time, a loving time. It's a rare and precious time. It's a time to be close to each other and to God.
There are many ways to talk to children about God at bedtime. As was said, we do this primarily by the way we put them to bed. We do this by mustering patience as our own busy day comes to an end. We do it with a tender kiss and an "I love you" as we leave the room. But, we can also do it with stories.
Children love stories, stories, stories. In our family there is one type of story which is the regular, nightly request. It takes the form of "Daddy (or Mommy), tell me a story about when you were a little boy." This has been going on so long that I am running dry of stories, or so it seems. Rather than forego a story, Beth will beg for a re-run of some oft-told story. I have overheard her telling these stories to her little friends as they played in her room. As I get older I am beginning to appreciate this form of story more. It tells of heritage, of lineage, of roots. Inevitably, these stories involve grandparents, moments of virtue, of relatives, humor, tales of Church events. All this is a remembrance of God's activity in one's personal history, and can occasionally be explained as such. Grandparents can have a incalculable value in strengthening the faith of a child with stories about "When Baba [grandmother] was a little girl."
The above paragraphs are excerpted from the article, "Talking to Children about God" from the archives of Orthodox Family Life (Volume 2, Issue 3). "Bedtime Rituals" was the topic for our Facebook and Wordpress pages this fall. Find the postings at www.facebook.com/orthodoxchristianparenting, and orthodoxchristianparenting.wordpress.com/.