Reverence in family prayer- questions

  • Thread starter Thread starter gatorsmom
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
G

gatorsmom

Guest
I’ve been considering getting my children to pray a decade of the rosary with me at night before they go to bed. My boys are 4 and 6 years old. We already say the typical bedtime prayers and they always ask if they can say the prayers in their heads instead of outloud together. Usually they are sitting up in their beds as we say their prayers altogether (the boys share a room). Most of the times I let them fold their hands and keep silent while I pray outloud for everyone.

I know that in the days before Vatican 2 there was a much bigger devotion to the rosary and a more serious reverence for prayer. My dad has a very strong sense of respect and reverence when he prays and I know that his parents instilled that in him. I want that for my children.

Any suggestions to get them to pray the rosary? How do we pray the rosary together? Should everyone be there (including my 18 month old twins?- probably not). And if they start to play or fuss or fidget during prayers, how do I instill in them a sense of reverence and seriousness? Do I stop in the middle of the prayer to admonish them? Or keep going and not interrupt the prayer (in which case they will have probably started playing with a toy). Suggestions appreciated!
 
Kneel together before a crucifix and other sacred images, e.g. of Our Lady, and recite the prayers. Having the image of Our Lord and the saints helps my children remember that prayer is directed at persons who are interested our relationship with them.

It is easy for young ones to get distracted until discipline sets in. Start with just 1 Our Father, 3 Hail Marys, and a Glory Be to see how that goes. Maybe have them take turns leading the first part of the prayer, while everyone else recite the second part.

Invoke prayer intentions before hand to get them engaged. Maybe get some children prayer books.

Just some thoughts.
 
I would say don’t worry too much if they get distracted - they all do. Consitency is key (I have problems in this area, I’ll admit). The more consistent you are, the more a part of their routine the prayers will become.They’ll also build up the stamina to concentrate on the meaning of the words, since they won’t have to try as hard to just remember the words in the first place. I would also say you should encourage them to say the prayers out loud, maybe having them even lead or take turns. Start out with shorter sessions, so that the prayers remain fresh for them ( a whole rosary might be too much to handle). I would say kudos to you for involving your children in family prayers in the first place - I think it is an excellent starting point for the fundamentals of the faith (catechesis). My kids are always asking me about who Jesus and Mary are, is Jesus dead or alive, Guardian Angels, etc. etc., so the prayers help start a foundation for teaching about these points.
 
It might be best to do just one decade a day for a while with your young sons.

Or, if you’re a homemaker, you could break up the rosary throughout the day and evening–perhaps a decade before they go to school, one when they come home, one before dinner, etc.
 
I need to get on the ball with this. I have good intentions but I get off track. I haven’t established a good prayer routine with my 2 year old. We always say thank you god before we eat and take care of us Lord when we go to bed but that isn’t enough. Ideas on consistency with little one would be greatly appreciated.
Blessings to all,
eli
 
eli1118 said:
I need to get on the ball with this. I have good intentions but I get off track. I haven’t established a good prayer routine with my 2 year old. We always say thank you god before we eat and take care of us Lord when we go to bed but that isn’t enough. Ideas on consistency with little one would be greatly appreciated.
Blessings to all,
eli
Click to expand...
I would say that with a two year old, grace at meals and bedtime prayers are probably a very good start, if you are being consistent with those. Two is a tough age to demand long attention spans from (although every child is different, of course). I am by no means an expert in establishing family prayer times (and particularly deficient in being consistent outside of the aforementioned grace and bedtime prayers), but I would say that the previous advice about starting with maybe a decade of the rosary daily, maybe after dinner, would be a good place to expand. Of course having your little one at mass every Sunday is also important. I try to draw my kids’ attention especially at the Our Father, since it is a prayer they are familiar with, and encourage them to pray along.

I think the key is really to get prayer to be as normal a part of their routine is as eating and brushing their teeth. Once it’s established, then incremental increases will probably go smoothly. (man I need to take my own advice!):o
 
The Family that Prays together, stays together!

I agree with what another poster said. Pray before some images of Our Lord and Lady. Light candles. Have some ‘quiet time’ before you begin. Do things that make it obvious that THIS time is different from other time.

Then, don’t let anything get in the way of “rosary time”. Schedule things around it. Every night pray at least the one decade, until they can sit together for the whole thing. Your example of making this a priority, and the visual cues (candles, ‘quiet time’, the images) will help reinforce that this time is special and necessitates respect and reverence.

If possible, I say have the younger kids there too - then they’ll grow up used to this.

Father Patrick Peyton had a worldwide crusade going in the sixties to try and get families to pray the Family Rosary together every night. Holy Cross Family Ministries continues this today: familyrosary.org/main/rosary.php
 
My children are 6,4, and 1.5 - we’ve made it our routine to kneel and pray 5 decades after dinner between the hour of 7-8pm. The oldest one kneels, while the 4 year old is given the option to stand or kneel (sometimes sit) and the 1.5 year old’s job is to wonder around and distract everyone 🙂 Now that my oldest has made her first communion (and is a big girl) she is required to kneel for the rosary like all the other “big people.” Everyone gets a chance to lead a decade and if I notice someone getting distracted or playing with the baby I’ll tap them on the shoulder to get them refocused. We pray before the images of the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts and we’ll light several blessed candles and turn down the lights low to give them a focal point (the candles and the images). Being able to blow out the candles is motivation for them to try their best at saying the prayers and not getting distracted. If they’re absolutely not cooperating then they don’t get to blow out a candle.

Of course children being children you can only hope for the best and so I wouldn’t expect halos to sprout above their heads. As a matter of fact if they say even half of the rosary I would be satisfied but don’t set your expectations too high. As long as they understand that rosary time is family prayer time and not a time to play and do whatever they want then I think the rest will come.
 
I think that is a great idea! I would agree with some of the other people who suggested that sticking to praying just one decade a day will show them what to do and also help them to focus on the importance of the rosary without getting restless. With the little ones perhaps you could kneel infront of a statue or a picture of Mary and encourage them to have a minute or so of silence, perhaps whilst holding rosary beads.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top