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The Best Way to Get Your Child Into Bed and to Sleep at Night Christian Bed Time Stories
by There were instances in the Bible when Jesus was an authoritarian and stated things plainly and straightforwardly. For instance, we find in John 14:6, "Jesus saith unto him, I AM THE WAY, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." There certainly isn't much doubt that in that verse, Jesus is the authority. In Revelation 3:20 Jesus is patiently waiting outside the door and will only enter if allowed to do so, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." While there is a reward implied in both verses, Jesus is clearly passive in the second verse. He is waiting for us and will only enter by invitation. We often have to make the choice with our children of being the authority and leaving no room for doubt, or of allowing them to make a decision, with some gentle guidance of course. The important thing to remember is that Jesus never asked us to do anything without offering a reward and also spelling things out clearly. We need to do the same with our children. While the answer, "Because I'm the Mommy," may seem to be appropriate, it should also be known to the child that because you are the Mommy you control the cookie jar and all other aspects of life, not just sweets. The irony of Jesus' mission on Earth is that he was sent to save us and offer us the key to heaven, but he still had to sell us on the idea. As incredible as it may seem, once you realize it, Jesus was giving eternal life in paradise to anyone who wanted it, but he still had to work hard to convince them. It is often the same with our children. We realize how much better their lives will be if they obey us and let us help them, but they still often defy us and try to run our households, themselves. Of course, we can't allow that. But we can teach them that when they obey and listen to us, they will be rewarded with a happier, easier life. A perfect example of this is bed time. How many children enjoy going to bed and how many children resist going to bed? We know they need a good night's sleep and will feel better in the morning if they get a good rest, but still, they resist and fight against. One good reward for going to bed that seems to get many children to bed is a story. Bible bed time stories are wonderful ways to teach children important lessons and also get them into bed. When using a Christian bed time story make sure that your child knows that he or she has to be in bed and ready for sleep before the story will begin and if he or she dawdles or takes too long to get into bed, there will be no story. There are even Christian bed time stories available on MP3 that can be listened to right from a computer or downloaded and used form an MP3 player. The best ones have special cues and programming to make your child drowsy and sleepier so he or she will relax. Once a child has had the experience once or twice he or she will welcome it an want to go to bed. It is win - win situation for parent and child. For information on recorded Christian Children's Bedtime Stories, visit http://www.christiansleep.org/christianbedtimestory.html where you'll find information and stories in MP3 format that you can download or listen to right away. This article may be reproduced but must contain this bio and link. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |