Consistency, I guess

Today is Monday. Family Home Evening. Let me describe FHE in the Simonson family for your enjoyment:

Kids are SUPER wild. Maybe it was the uber sweet watermelon they had just consumed? I was trying to remember if they had a treat but no, it was only watermelon. So that must be why. Hubs and I sit on the couch and call the girls to gather. They arrive in the family room and roll around on the floor, giggling and making strange noises. I ask the girls if they want to lead the opening song, which they usually do together with wooden spoons as batons. My 4yo (we'll call her "Sweetcakes") says, "no!" and my 2yo (who shall be known as "Honeybuns") plays intently with her dollar store mermaid and mini-Rapunzel doll that she carries around 24/7, keeping up a steady dialogue in a high pitched voice as the dolls talk to each other.

Ok, I guess I'll lead. I lead them in singing "When My Mother Calls Me, Quickly I'll Obey." Sweetcakes suddenly wants to sing it as a solo so I sit down and she sings it with cute exaggerated actions (last week our lesson was on obedience and we learned that song). Honeybuns stands next to her and joins in on the actions and an occasional word.  They are so cute doing it that Hubs and I chuckle and clap, and Hubs gets out his phone to video them doing it. He says, k now do it again. Honeybuns refuses and sits on the floor, kicking her legs grumpily. Sweetcakes goes through the song again for the video but a bit sillier, and both girls end up laughing hysterically at the end of the song.

Nice reverent start to our FHE, huh? So I had decided to teach the lesson on tithing, since Sweetcakes has started to have an interest in earning money to buy her own toys. I showed the picture of the little girl paying tithing and tried to engage Sweetcakes by describing the picture. She pays attention for 3.5 seconds then runs away. Honeybuns is still playing with her dolls. I try to tell her that we will receive blessings by paying tithing but she is completely done paying attention by then. I sigh and say to hubs, "not our most successful FHE, huh?" haha

Then we read scriptures. Sweetcakes repeated her verse in a silly way. I was grateful that one of the verses was a one liner for Honeybuns to repeat. She loses interest quickly. Someday we'll get through the Book of Mormon, I just know it.

Richard J Maynes of the Quorum of the Seventy said in this past General Conference, "We learned that our children might not remember everything about the family home evening lesson later in the week, but they would remember that we held it. We learned that later in the day at school they would probably not remember the exact words of the scriptures or the prayer, but they would remember that we did read scriptures and we did have prayer. Brothers and sisters, there is great power and protection for us and our youth in establishing celestial traditions in the home."

I shall remind myself of that quote many times in my mothering life, I believe. And remember that story Elder Bednar told a few years ago? About his young sons tattling on each other about things such as, "he's breathing my air!" haha. He talked about consistency as well. Bring on the distractions and wildness! We shall conquer!