How do you incorporate daily prayer into your family life

[savienu]

Especially if you have young children? My son is not quite 18 months old, and I really want to get him started from an early age in daily prayer with the family. (Which we haven’t been good about doing, but just started recently…) However, he very obviously doesn’t want to pay attention. Is it unrealistic to think that he could sit still with us while we pray? If so, what age is a good age to start at?

 

[jwashu]

Each child is different but I would start about now saying nightly prayers before bed.

We say the “Now I lay me” prayer then I ask for forgiveness for us, (like a prayer leader) say some things we are thankful for then I’ve started letting them (oldest is 5 middle is 3) ask for things and thank God for the things he does for us. They don’t do a good job every night but we keep trying.

The 5 year old (6 in Nov) has been doing this since just before he as 3 and does well 90% of the time. Our 3 year old (almost 4) has much more difficulty being still but is trying. Some nights he says every word, makes his little sign of the cross and asks that God heal his baby brothers diaper rash. Then other nights he is bouncing up and down and when we say Amen he says is but is acting completely silly.

They 3 and 5, what do you expect? Personally I think they do a good job.

A few times since my oldest was in PreK-4 last year we have said a Hail Mary but the youngest doesn’t know that prayer yet. I’m trying to give them time.

I’m also encouraging them to be reverent but at the same time I want them to feel completely comfortable just “talking” with God. Why? Because I know a lot of very devout Catholics who can’t do that because they have only said wrote prayers their entire life.

Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with that, many are very meaningful and there are reasons why we say them the way we do. However there are also times when I believe we just need to pour out our hearts before the Lord and I want them to feel that hey can do that from a young age.

My 2 cents worth

Joe

 

[savienu]

Thanks Joe. I agree that I want my children to be comfortable just talking to God and I don’t want to make prayer time a chore, that’s why I wasn’t sure if I was being unrealistic at this stage of the game. Thanks for the (name removed by moderator)ut!

 

[Feanaro_s_Wife]

**First and foremost, lead by example. I am sure than when you eat dinner as a family you don’t expect your 18 month old to properly use a spoon, fork, knife, or napkin. But you and your hubby do it and he sees you. And he learns from you. You encourage him to do what he is able.

I think prayer is much the same. If our children grow up seeing/hearing us do it and can see that is it something special (i.e. we don’t do things like watch tv while praying etc) then they will want to do it too. They are great little imitators.

As for our family, we try to remember to say Grace at every meal, and I say some bedtime prayers with Lily at night. Sometimes she is completely doing her own thing and other times she’ll listen. But she actually surprised me today when I was reciting the Hail Mary and paused two or three times to see if she would fill in the blank (we have been doing that with her ABCs) and SHE DID! So even when it appears that she is not paying any attention (which is most of the time, lol) she was!

Although for months as an infant she loved watching the Divine Mercy Chaplet on tv everyday… so she absorbed it then too.

And I totally agree with also having “conversations” with God instead of only memorized prayer. I think they are both very important.

Your son is only 18 months old… you’re doing great! Relax a little. If God is important to you, he will know that. Kids are smart. Lily just turned two and the things I was stressing about just a few months ago are resolving themselves… when you have a little 3 year old reciting prayers along side you and thanking God for all of the gifts He gives her you will wonder why you were so worried only a short year and a half before, lol.**

 

[mommyof4]

We are pretty simple folks. We say grace before meals, and I say a good night prayer with the younger kids. I would like to do more of it together as a family, however.

 

[AmandaCatherine]

My husband and I have 2 boys, age 2, and a 7 month old. We pray the rosary every night together and have always done it with the kids (except when we are sick or something), but it hasn’t always gone smoothly. From the time the boys were about a year old we would give them a child’s rosary, one of those wooden ones with large, non-toxic beads, and they would play with it while we prayed. Sometimes they would get wiggly and loud, so one of us would hold the wiggler on our laps to finish. Often we were each juggling a child by the 4th decade! We had some decades that weren’t very meditative, to say the least! But now, at 2, they are pretty good at sitting next to us and holding their rosaries, even though they don’t know the prayers yet, they watch us and they are learning to make the sign of the cross. We are pretty strict with them at Mass, so we figure the rosary is good practice for sitting still. The baby plays at our feet with a quiet toy. (On the good nights! ) Sometimes if supper and bath time runs late, we put them to bed and pray by ourselves, but most of the time we are together as a family. We read bedtime stories every night, and they know they get a story after Rosary, so that helps keep them on good behavior.

If you are just starting out, maybe start small, and only pray one decade, or the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, or some other prayer you like. I think if you start a routine it goes a long way to helping them participate.

Hope this helps!

 

[shannyk]

I always when they were that age just did morning, bedtime and dinner prayers.

Dinner was the standard, Bless Us O Lord prayer, and morning is…

Good Morning God, it’s time to play!
Thank you for another day
Whether cloudy skies or sunny and bright,
I know you are there to be my Light.
Love me please throughout the day,
until at night in bed I lay.

Amen

Bed time is…

Thank you Jesus for this day,
Thank you for my work and play, be my guide in all that I do, and bless those who love me too.

Then we add all the names of family and friends etc.

Amen

Both are similar and could really be used interchangeably. The bedtime prayer they loved at that age because they were trying to learn everyone’s names, and would want to add just one more person every day. The list now is LONG and that prayer takes about 15 min to say

I think I actually just introduced the sign of the cross with the actions and words, and then Amen. That in itself is a good short prayer.

There are a lot of invocations or short prayers that can be said in seconds throught the day and are good for just planting that seed of the idea of praying. Here are some…

My Jesus, mercy!
My God and my All!

Jesus, my God, I love Thee above all things.

Jesus, grant me an increase of faith, hope, and charity, a contrite and humble heart.

Heart of Jesus, be my love.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I give you my heart and my soul.

Jesus, Mary, Joseph!

Mary, Mother of all Christians, pray for us.

 

[savienu]

Thanks for all the (name removed by moderator)ut, guys!

What we’ve started doing in the mornings is reading the Mass readings for the day (I love reading Sacred Scripture) and then doing either a Chaplet or a Rosary. This morning my DH and I did the Rosary ourselves. Keegan already does the sign of the cross. (Or, well, he tries, he goes back and forth on his shoulders! ) This morning I prayed a prayer with him when he wakes up. I tend to forget night time prayers (bad mommy! ) because he’s still nursing to sleep.

shannyk, THANK YOU for those prayers, I need to commit those to memory!