Sunday, March 11

Reading...


Bedtime came early for Mama's girls. The children were sent to bed at the same time regardless of age. Mama had found that to be much the best way for all. In the first place, the children had no feeling of separation from each other as they would have had if they went to bed at different times. And it meant that Mama could have a few quiet hours for reading or knitting or even just chatting with Papa without being disturbed by her little ones.

As for the children, bedtime was something to which they looked forward. Bedtime was when Ella and Sarah, who slept together, built their imaginary house and decorated the beautifully rich and colorful make-believe rooms. Bedtime was when Charlotte made up fanciful stories to tell or thought up games to play with her bedfellow, Gertie. Bedtime was when Henny planned some special mischief she could carry on the next day in school or at home. Planned all by herself, because she didn't like sharing a bed with anyone.

They slept, all five of them, in the one room and that made for plenty of company in the dark. And what was the best of all, Mama never minded their talking to each other. "It's early enough and they're resting their bodies anyway," she said. "They'll fall asleep when they get tired."

8 comments:

Maria said...

I wanted my kids to love All-of-a-Kind Family but they just didn't :( It made me sad.

Kate said...

My children are forced to due to the size of our house! All 3 (going on 4) will share a bedroom until we can move. They have the same bedtime, too. I do look forward to my only little girl having her own room, though. She craves time to herself, something her brothers don't necessarily give her.

Maria said...

I had an anthology when I was little that had chapters from many books, including a visit to the library from All-of-a-Kind Family. I loved it, and I found the series for my girls, and they love them all. What a warm, funny, and very real picture of family life!

MamaBirdEmma said...

I would give them another year, Maria Z.! Sometimes I try a book that I loved as a child and my little ones don't connect to it. Often I try a few months or a year later and they love it!

Maria said...

That's encouraging Emily! I think the girls will like it better than the boys but we do story time together as a group.

Mimi said...

I adored those book as a kid - my favorite scene was the one where Mama would hide the buttons for them to find when cleaning.

My grandmother, who is still living and in good health, taught me to crawl into bed and read about 8:30. I try to put that into practice often.

Mama Bear said...

we have been listening to the series on audio book (library) and both my son and daughter LOVE it.

Anonymous said...

the audiobooks by Suzanne Toren are excellent ... almost (almost) as good as Cherry Jones and Little House.

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