More about "POBO"
It began already after school when they arrived home. Ruth made sure she was home welcoming them back with joy and interest in their lives.
"Put your books on the other table, wash your hands and then come have your snack," was the familiar greeting.
They followed her instructions and came to sit down at the long counter under the kitchen window. On the counter were usually a small glass of fruit juice, a cookie or other tasteful snack for each of them. She sat by while they chatted and snacked.
"So how was school?" she asked if they did not automatically volunteer the information. As a rule they burst out with the most important news without any prompting. That’s the beauty of a routine. Sharing and conversation become part of the ritual and it seems natural without any special training since that’s the way it always was from the time they could remember.
After this little pause in the day, "Now go out and play and come in when it is dark or by 5:00pm." Most of the time Ruth did not even have to say this, because that’s just what one did after the snack. They needed to be out with nature in free play and movement regardless of the season.
After outdoor play it was time to wash hands again, sit down at the table and have the evening meal together. Since I was sometimes a little late commuting from New York City, they had often finished their meal when I arrived. I was sometimes lucky enough for them to continue sitting at the table while I ate.
After supper the children did homework. The older ones often had a lot of it and often needed to start earlier. They also learned to make good use of study times at school. Just before bed time, it was routine for each of them to brush teeth and wash their face, not forgetting the ears (we hoped).
Then there was a rush for the best seats on the sofa for the story. Ruth sat in the middle and they crowded in next to her on both sides. Those who were a little older also came, even if the story happened to be more for the younger children, but it varied. The older ones gradually wanted to sit by themselves in the club chair or other seating. When the children were three or younger, Ruth preferred to tell them the stories from memory. Once the children were at least three years old, Ruth read to them.
This POBO book, written and illustrated especially for our Mark, was just one of the stories she read. There were many others. Gradually we moved into reading books, a chapter at a time. We enjoyed "Watership Down" by Richard Adams and "The Wonderful Adventures of Nils" by Selma Lagerlof. Reading the books in this way was exciting because chapters usually leave you hanging, eager for what happens next.
After the story, they trudged up to bed. We usually lit a candle, said a prayer, sometimes it seemed some weighty topic came up for discussion (mostly to keep the day going a little longer we thought), and then a good night kiss, snuffing out the candle and sleep. This slow and careful winding down of the day seemed to ease them without lingering concerns into the restful sleep they needed. After all, it was mostly in dreamless sleep they continued to build their bodies and mature their souls for the life ahead of them.
Such was our family bed time ritual and POBO was a part of it.
"Put your books on the other table, wash your hands and then come have your snack," was the familiar greeting.
They followed her instructions and came to sit down at the long counter under the kitchen window. On the counter were usually a small glass of fruit juice, a cookie or other tasteful snack for each of them. She sat by while they chatted and snacked.
"So how was school?" she asked if they did not automatically volunteer the information. As a rule they burst out with the most important news without any prompting. That’s the beauty of a routine. Sharing and conversation become part of the ritual and it seems natural without any special training since that’s the way it always was from the time they could remember.
After this little pause in the day, "Now go out and play and come in when it is dark or by 5:00pm." Most of the time Ruth did not even have to say this, because that’s just what one did after the snack. They needed to be out with nature in free play and movement regardless of the season.
After outdoor play it was time to wash hands again, sit down at the table and have the evening meal together. Since I was sometimes a little late commuting from New York City, they had often finished their meal when I arrived. I was sometimes lucky enough for them to continue sitting at the table while I ate.
After supper the children did homework. The older ones often had a lot of it and often needed to start earlier. They also learned to make good use of study times at school. Just before bed time, it was routine for each of them to brush teeth and wash their face, not forgetting the ears (we hoped).
Then there was a rush for the best seats on the sofa for the story. Ruth sat in the middle and they crowded in next to her on both sides. Those who were a little older also came, even if the story happened to be more for the younger children, but it varied. The older ones gradually wanted to sit by themselves in the club chair or other seating. When the children were three or younger, Ruth preferred to tell them the stories from memory. Once the children were at least three years old, Ruth read to them.
This POBO book, written and illustrated especially for our Mark, was just one of the stories she read. There were many others. Gradually we moved into reading books, a chapter at a time. We enjoyed "Watership Down" by Richard Adams and "The Wonderful Adventures of Nils" by Selma Lagerlof. Reading the books in this way was exciting because chapters usually leave you hanging, eager for what happens next.
After the story, they trudged up to bed. We usually lit a candle, said a prayer, sometimes it seemed some weighty topic came up for discussion (mostly to keep the day going a little longer we thought), and then a good night kiss, snuffing out the candle and sleep. This slow and careful winding down of the day seemed to ease them without lingering concerns into the restful sleep they needed. After all, it was mostly in dreamless sleep they continued to build their bodies and mature their souls for the life ahead of them.
Such was our family bed time ritual and POBO was a part of it.