Getting back to our routines

Last weekend, my son went to swim lessons. It had been three weeks since he had been, and on the car ride home he happily talked all about them. "It's good to get back to the routine of them," he said.

His simple statement made me remember how routines make up a great portion of our lives. So, yes, it is important to shake up our children's routines every once in a while, but it is fundamental that they have those routines to start with.

Getting enough sleep at night, eating at regular times and limiting screentime are all things that I make sure happen in my son's life. They are the simplest way I can contribute to his overall happiness. It turns out that these three things are also the simplest way that I can cut down on his risk of obesity. He has to have me set these rules in place so that he learns to follow them into adulthood.

Because, honestly, adulthood is where we mess up. There have been too many times in my life when I have not gotten enough sleep or eaten regular meals and had too much screentime (I work on a computer, so that last one is an unobtainable goal for me.) I need to practice these three good habits all the time, too.

Although those three things make up the basic rhythm of our household, I love all the little routines we have that make up our day. And my son is right: It is good to get back to them.

What's your favorite routine in your household? Tell me in the comments.