Imagine waking up in the morning and not having a plan for you and your family? Imagine being asked to do something new and not knowing how to do it? Unimaginable, right? We thrive with schedules and routines. I have seen the benefits of having a schedule and routine in my classroom when I was still teaching. According to Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center, “A consistent daily schedule and step-by-step routines give children a predictable day.” It was a tremendous help for my students to see the schedule for the day and also the step-by-step routines in doing certain things in the classroom.

If daily schedule and routines are important in the classroom, would you say that they’re also important at home? I would say so. Proverbs 29:18 states, “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.”

As a mother, I have realized the importance of setting a schedule for me and my family especially for me and my daughter since we’re always together by God’s grace. We have a general schedule that we try to follow as a family such as meal times, worship times, and bed time. Everything else revolves around those.

I like to start my day with my time with the Lord. That special, quiet time with Him is very important. I draw strength, wisdom, and the rest of the good things such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23) from Him. If I don’t get that quality time with Him, I don’t feel good. I feel like I can tackle anything and everything as long as I have already spent time with Him. It gives me the assurance that He will be with me throughout the day. Matthew 6:33, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you” is a great principle to follow.

Usually before I finish my worship, Bethany would be up. (My husband is already doing his worship about the same time that I do.) She’d look for us upon waking up but would generally go to her father for worship time with her Bible story book.

Bethany understands this. She understands that our day starts with God followed by breakfast and usually a walk when weather permits then a few chores at home, nursing time at 11am, lunch at 12-ish pm, nap at 1:30pm, play time around 4pm, supper at 5:30pm, family walk after that, bath at 6:30pm followed by a worship time and bed time at 7:30pm. That’s the general schedule that we like to do with her. It’s a great, great day if we’re able to follow that but there are days such as travel days or appointment days when we’re not able to follow her schedule. But we try our best.

We have noticed that when we’re able to follow Bethany’s schedule, she is a much happier child. However, if we don’t then she’d really cry very hard because she’s tired and all and doesn’t know what to do with herself. It’s a sad scenario.

So to new parents out there, I know there’s so much to learn and so much to consider when we become parents but I would just like to encourage you to keep a schedule for everyone’s happiness and sanity at home. It’s good for you and your baby and of course, your family at large. I understand there’s the desire to do the things we used to like to do when we didn’t have a baby yet but life has changed once mommy got pregnant and baby is out of the womb. It’s a different ball game now. It’s not bad. It’s just different. Also, in your schedule, always make sure that everybody gets their personal worship even the baby through your assistance and then do family worship. With Jesus in the family, happy, happy home.