Our “Big Event” Home Evening

On the day I realized that the kindest remark I had made to our children in a long time was “Up to your room!” I decided to find a way to change my attitude and restore team spirit in our family. After prayerful thought, I decided to hold “The Big Event.”

First, I put a large sign on the refrigerator that read, “Coming Soon—The Big Event!” I also placed smaller advertisements under everyone’s pillows, in lunch boxes, and in jacket pockets. Soon curiosity replaced contention in our house as everyone speculated about “The Big Event.”

Throughout the next week, I noted each person’s talents and positive attributes and jotted down praiseworthy incidents and humorous statements. I snapped slides of our older children reading, setting the table, and working on crafts projects and our younger children building block towers together, getting the mail, and playing with the baby. I took pictures of my husband reading bedtime stories and giving piggyback rides. Then I asked the family to sing “I Am a Child of God” into a tape recorder.

After I got the slides developed, I crossed off Soon on our refrigerator poster and wrote Monday in big red letters. Anticipation grew!

At home evening on Monday, I spent a few minutes talking about each family member, quoting his or her kind and humorous comments, listing good qualities, and thanking him or her for being on our “team.” As I praised each person, I put a paper crown on his or her head and gave him or her a small wrapped gift. To add humor, I played an audiocassette with drum roll and fanfare sound effects as I talked. For the finale, I showed a slide presentation of the family pictures that I had taken, with our recording of “I Am a Child of God” playing in the background.

“The Big Event” caused our feelings of family pride to grow in bounds.—Gwen Haglund, Moon Township, Pennsylvania