I am planning to send my boys out trick-or-treating tonight, but not without requirement.  They are to be polite and courteous to the people they meet, especially to those nice enough to give them treats.

I was at a Halloween event recently where out of 50 kids, I received less than a handful of “thank-you’s”.   Each time a child approached me for their candy handout, I would patiently wait to see if he/she would “wow” me with manners.  Most times I remained woefully disappointed.  I found myself looking up at the mothers with a quizzical stare, “Don’t you realize your child is supposed to show gratitude?”  

So tonight as my children (Spiderman and Superman) parade around the neighborhood, you’d better believe their vigilant mother will be listening for the coveted “thank-you’s”.  My young lads are going to learn a Halloween lesson that will hopefully stay put for years to come–politeness is of utmost importance (and it might earn you more candy!)

I knew we’d be one of those families where non-napping preschoolers still have an hour of quiet time. The reasons, or so I thought: (1) My sanity–I need that time to catch my breath, exercise, and pray for a few minutes (2) The child’s sanity–no 3 year old can blast through a day full-throttle and still be cheerful at dinner time.

However, lately I’ve started to realize that there’s more to quiet time than saving sanity. Bella is learning to entertain herself with her own creativity and imagination. No noise, no stimulation, no frills, just a few books or basic toys. Even more importantly and so lovely, she is learning to sit still in the quiet and be alone with her thoughts. I have watched her improve in this ability day by day. Her first quiet times were real struggles, and if she was quiet, it was only out of obedience. Lately, she has an easier time settling in peacefully for the full hour. This quiet is so difficult to cultivate in children these days, with all the activity and distraction, but I see it as true training for the ability to contemplate and pray. Her Mass behavior has improved significantly lately, too.

I didn’t really expect that quiet time would have a training purpose, but I’ve been so pleased to see its effects. She’s inspiring me to discipline myself to be quiet and still and contemplate better. If a chatterbox 3 year old can do it, I have no excuse!