Mormonism: Everyday routines

Everyday routines
Everyday routines are another way to strengthen a family, and becoming a Mormon will add structure to your family. Research shows that, “Families that tend to have regular routines and roles usually have children who do well in school and have greater self-control. Keeping these everyday routines (like eating together and doing household tasks) is associated with positive outcomes for adolescents. They are more likely to avoid delinquent behavior and less likely to use drugs.”[i] What parent wouldn’t want those great outcomes for their child[ren]? Mormons practice something called daily family scripture study and prayer. These are great daily routines because they provide opportunities for family members to develop certain roles. For example, the father who gathers everybody for prayer/scripture study, and the children who follow along and help read. Mormonism is also a great religion because it promotes a strong work ethic. Their own religious text says that they, “[Should] be anxiously engaged in a good cause…”[ii] Children learn to work hard with church orchestrated community service projects. Because Mormonism has such a strong practice of everyday routines, it will create a more unified family.
Aren’t having too many activities harmful to a family because they become too busy? Imagine a mom’s schedule where she picks her child up from school and runs him to his baseball game while the daughter wonders what she is going to do for her science fair project. Next she is at the grocery store, picking up the dry cleaning, and before dinner she has to not only cook the meal, but also make sure the dog is taken care of. After dinner it is baths and story time. How on earth are you to fit all the additional activities which Mormonism provides into your already hectic schedule? Practicing a religion does add more “To Do’s” to that already busy list but those religious activities can be incorporated into the activities you already perform. This way you are still doing the things you love, but with a religious twist you are adding more structure and unity to your family. Take the mom’s schedule described earlier as an example. Instead of looking at the day as a list of errands, the family tries to make the busy schedule an effective use of time by incorporating the Mormon lifestyle. The mother still drops her son off at baseball but they decide to go to the game together as a family for Family Home Evening (FHE) -with the dog. While the son is playing, the family is providing loving support as they watch from the stands. They continue their family night by picking up the dry cleaning and groceries. At home they work on preparing dinner, and use the potato skins and corn husks to start the daughter’s compost pile for her science fair project. They conclude their Family Home Evening with a family prayer. Next it is baths, and as the kids settle into bed, they read together from the Bible. Being Mormon didn’t replace what the family did or make their lives too busy; it added structure and routine which enhanced the strength of the family.
[i] http://missourifamilies.org/features/parentingarticles/parenting25.htm (Accessed June 12, 2009)
[ii] Doctrine and Covenants, section 58, verse 26-24