Routine Or Not?

I was never one for the school of thought that routine was vital in bringing up children and when out in company I would scoff silently at those who championed it.
I never looked on anything that I did with my two as routine it was sort of made up on the go to combat whatever situation we would find ourselves in. Or so I thought and have believed for years that this was the case making me a trendy parent who laughed at convention, and not only that I would think my two turned out not too bad all things considered.
Bring on the wee one like everything else I thought I had learned and knew backwards from the first time round she pokes fun at it and proves to me that the old dog has got to learn new tricks everyday just to keep up.
It seems I have become a provider of routine over the past year or so without even knowing it was happening!! Take for example bath and bed time the other night I quietly went up the stairs to prepare the wee ones bath as announcing it causes all sorts of excitement and carry on, I had just about finished running the said bath when the wee one appeared around the corner carrying her PJ's, a towel, nappy and talc all the things I was yet to gather together before calling on her, as quick as a flash she was stripped off and ready to get in the bath-but not before sticking her pinkie in to test the water temp, a quick turn of the cold tap and it was just right! Nothing hugely world beating but what followed next got me to thinking-after the bath she went into her room put on the night light, turned down the duvet and got teddy ready and put a drink of juice on her bedside cabinet. All this done said good bye to me and went into her Papa's room for her 30 minute visit before bedtime-no prompting no instruction and she was sorted.
As I said it got me to thinking and as I analysed what we got up to day by day week by week it struck me like a bolt of lightening that I was the provider of routine the thing that I had sneered at all my life and what's worse is looking back things did not just happen by chance it looks like my wife tricked me and she had the kids in a routine from the start.
Further to this shocking revelation in my life it turns out that I have got excellent routines on the go according to my peers.
So back to the original argument are routines necessary or are they what adults call ruts? I can only now conclude that the wee one has shown me the way that routines are vital for children and may even be necessary for adults however we should not forget treats and days out that break routine as they are just as important not just for our wee ones but for the big ones to.
And Finally.
Over the last few weeks I have been letting you know how our toilet training has been going and just as a wee update no pun intended the wee one has worked out that the same place she does her pee pee is the place for a no2 or a yuck as she calls it, so it is on to stage two of the process a process I have never undertaken before because that trickster of a wife did all this the first time round making me think it was just by chance.