Remebering to say brachot

cbt

Tue, May 12 2015, 2:55 am

Hi! I'd like to get better at remembering to say brachot acharonot and saying the first brachot a little more clearly. While I want to work on myself primarily I feel it would be good to get my kids involved and raise brachot awareness in all of us. Does anyone have any good ideas what kind of chart to set up, how to remember and record the brachot we've said and what kind of "prize/incentive" we can work towards?
Thanks!

chani8

Tue, May 12 2015, 3:39 am

Charting it will take the pleasure out of it and make it just another thing to be critiqued on. Instead, just make it a nice thing to do. Say your own brachot with kavanah, and when you 'catch' your child making a nice bracha, smile at her and give an approving nod. Don't criticize a slurred bracha, ever.

For you, if you focus on the meaning of the Names, you will say your brachot more carefully. Blessed are You, Who is, Was and Will Always Be, our G-d, King of the whole entire world...

And if you bentch right away, you wont forget to bentch. While running off to do the thousand things a mother gets distracted with, permit yourself to bentch as you go. Of course there is a more proper way, but if forgetting is your problem, then cut yourself some slack and just make bentching on the go the first step in creating the good habit of bentching right away.

Reminding children to bentch should be done the same as you would teaching any manners...you say it for them. "Done eating? Thank you Hashem for the yummy food! Right?!"

With a school age child, hand her a bentcher with a smile. Or invite her to bentch together with you.

cbt

Tue, May 12 2015, 4:39 am

Thanks for replying. I hear what you're saying about the chart not being as fun but I feel like I need something to help me remember and make it a "good habit". I want the kids to see me doing it and learn from me rather than me just telling them what to do. Funnily enough my kids forget to say a bracha before eating and are better about bentching whereas Im better about saying brachot before eating and forgetting to bentch.