Grandma and Grandpa Strong told me they had family home evening every week when their children were young. Though they didn’t have Family Home Evening when they were young, this was a tradition they wanted in their family. They started having it because the prophet at the time told them they should. It was a newly instituted program directed by the church. Starting a tradition of Family Home Evening for Grandma and Grandpa was more than just that, it was starting a tradition of following the prophet. Grandma and Grandpa knew that FHE was a guideline the Lord had set up for them to help them raise their family, and they believed it would help, so they did it.
Because, Dad had grown up having Family Home Evening in his family and thus spending Monday evenings with his Mom and Dad, praying, singing, and being taught and fed by the spirit, he thought it was important that we children did as well.
Rosalie remembers, “Mom and Dad were pretty good about doing this (FHE). It was rare that there was a week that we didn’t at least do something on Monday. Sometimes it would be working in the yard, or we would do an activity earlier in the day and Mom and Dad would call it ‘Family Home Day.’” But most every week we would just gather together on Mondays and follow the FHE chart, just like Dad did as he was young. Mom made these charts, when we were young they were made out of paper, when we got older mom made one out of wood, and everyone had a heart with their name on it and it would move from assignment to assignment. Regardless of what the chart looked like, everyone had something to do in family home evening: Song, Opening Prayer, Scripture, Talent, Lesson, Closing Song, Closing Prayer, Activity and Dessert. Every week our job would change. Everyone, even the little kids had the opportunity to teach the lesson, this was good because it didn’t always feel like Monday nights were lecture nights.
Brother D says that he doesn’t think that Family Night was always that spiritual, and we didn’t always learn anything. And this is probably true, I mean really after all, when you have lesson’s being taught by four year olds, something is going to be sacrificed. But I think valuable lessons have been taught.
Brother J remembers the flannel board lessons as a child. And even if it isn’t strictly the thing the family was suppose to gain from the lesson I think we have all learned that we are an important part of the family, Mom and Dad are really disappointed in us if we plan something besides FHE on Monday Nights. It has taught us that it is important to follow the prophet, even in the little things. And it has taught us to have fun with our family.
I remember many Family Nights that started with complaining and bickering, but I don’t remember many that ended that way.
When we were little we played lots of games like “no bears are out tonight” as we got older we played games like, “doctor, doctor come and help” and the one standing favorite game is “fruit basket upset” these are great times. It was always fun to be able to play tag with Dad and see Mom jump up and down and run from seat to seat and look silly just like us little kids. Now as we get older it is fun to be the one looking silly.
There are two Family Home Evenings that happen every year. One is at the beginning of the year when we sit down review our goals from the last year and make new ones. We even decide as a family what goals we want for the family. I think this has been a great tool to utilize, yet I think that maybe our goals should get more public recognition than once a year, maybe then we would get more of them done. The other set Family Home Evening we do is making Christmas Lists.
Overall Family Night is something that we all look forward to. Even if it is just a few minutes, it is something that we value and know that if we do it we will grow closer as a family and grow spiritually as an individual.
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