Bedtime Rituals

I’m a mom.  So bedtime rituals are not new to me.  The evening bath, brushing teeth, story time, prayers, good night kisses -- all steps in the important process of creating routine bringing stability and predictability to a child’s life.

But not all bedtime rituals are the same.  And not all children are privileged to experience a safe and comforting bedtime routine.

In a home in India, over 35 children have a bedtime ritual which far differs from what we may experience here at home in the States.  These children vary in ages from 2 to 11 years old.  They, too, take their baths, put on their “PJs” and brush their teeth.  They may also dance and sing as they wait for the other children to prepare for bed.  When all are ready, tummies full and bodies clean, a call is made and quickly they file into line and sit in a row waiting for the next step in the routine. They look like little birdies in a nest, expectantly waiting for mommy bird to bring a worm for each open mouth.  Obviously these children wait not for worms.  Instead, they open their tiny mouths as their nurse and caretaker brings them their dosage of life-saving medication.

They are infected with the HIV virus.  Some already have AIDS.  These children are the innocent victims of sexual slavery, children of the women (more like young girls) who have been sold into the Red Light District.  Many of them have been rescued from the streets -- found lying in the dirt with an older sibling, abandoned and ready to die.  Others were near death in a hospital facility.  The Bombay Teen Challenge (“BTC”) staff were notified, treatment paid for, and prayers and all-night vigils bringing healing to allow the child to come to this new home.  Some have only known the bedtime ritual of hiding under their mother’s small bed while she performed her “services” for her nightly clientele.

But here, at BTC, these precious ones are cared for, educated, loved.  They get a bedtime ritual!  And with it, the comfort, stability and nurturing that every child deserves.There are thousands more children like them filling the streets of India.  Waiting to be rescued, waiting for a better bedtime ritual.The next time you are getting ready to put your children to bed, remember them in your prayers.  And praise the Lord for BTC and their dedication to ensure no child remains victimized by sexual slavery.Written by Lisa Haleblian