Habits of the Household by Justin Whitmel Earley
Week 8: Chapter 7 — Bedtimes
Read Chapter 7 of Habits of the Household. Key passages: Psalm 4:8; Psalm 127:2; John 11:11–14.
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Bedtime is one of the most emotionally loaded moments of the parenting day — and one of the most spiritually rich. Earley makes the case that how we close the day with our children is every bit as important as how we open it.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Be honest about your current bedtime experience. Is it a moment of connection and peace, or a frantic battle you are trying to survive? What emotions does bedtime most reliably surface in you as a parent?
2.Earley notes that children at bedtime often become suddenly talkative, vulnerable, and full of big questions. Rather than seeing this as a manipulative delay tactic, he frames it as an invitation. Why might the threshold of sleep be a particularly spiritually open moment? Have you experienced this with your own children?
3.The chapter introduces the concept of a "bedtime liturgy" — a repeating series of words, prayers, and blessings that settle a child and ground them in truth before sleep. What is the formative power of repetition here? Why is saying the same thing night after night more powerful than saying something brilliant once?
a.What truths do you most want to be embedded in your children's hearts before they sleep? (e.g., that they are loved, forgiven, safe, known?)
b.Draft a simple two- or three-sentence blessing you could begin speaking over your child tonight.
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