Family Movie Night

I love this age with my kids where we get to decide on traditions and establish the identity of our family.  Recently I've been focusing on showing Chase what it means to be a Garland.  This is actually pretty tough, since I don't really know what it means to be a Garland either.  But, nonetheless as a parent, life doesn't wait for you to figure it out before you are tasked with the responsibility of explaining it to your child. 

It's pretty crazy, when you think about it.  I'm the mom, yet the kids teach me all day long about the meaning of life.  All I'm really doing is teaching them that wiping your buns after you go to the potty is not optional, but rather mandatory.  Because that's what Garlands do. 

I guess when I think about all that the kids teaches me vs. all that I teach them, it's probably very accurate that I do chores and they are served meals.  It's sort of spot on. 

Of course, the world would not recognize that, but Jesus would.  I hope I remember this the next time I'm doing dishes for the 4th time that day.  They are baby rabbi, and I'm the student.  I should follow after them carefully....

Anyway, I digress.  (shocker?)

We have started a tradition a few months back called Family Movie Night.  We made a sign that says "Please Do Not Disturb. Garland Family Movie Night In Progress!".  Hand prints of all the family members are added to the sign as signatures and it's placed in the window by our door.  Chase makes extra effort to make sure that all the doors are locked and everybody who walks by our home hears through the window that they cannot come in. (Next month will be our lesson on hospitality.)

In our defense, we have decided that (via family vote), were somebody to actually come to the door and have to be turned away, we would invite them back in the morning for doughnuts and chocolate milk. 

It seems especially important that we discuss in advance who "The Garlands" are.  We go through a roll call (4 times) and determine that, in fact, we are all present (including God).  Then Adelai goes to bed and we take our designated spots on the couch to watch the movie.  Somehow, Chris scored an entire couch to himself while I cuddle under a blanket with the two boys.  I think I won that. 

I'm not sure what this will evolve to when they grow.  Probably a game night?  And surely, it will move from the Saturday night position to a different night where they are willing to choose us over fun....but I'm hoping that when the day arrives that the choice has to be made (family or friends???), we'll at least have a long standing tradition of picking our family full of friends. 

We are establishing a sense of belonging and esteem for these children, but truly it just comes back full circle.