Book of Prayers for Kids
I wish we went to church more often. My husband worships at the church of 18 holes. I do think it is a place of spirituality for him and it certainly does reveal man’s true nature. My husband says that after a round of golf, you see the person for who his or she is … cheaters, lies to self, lie to others, poorly mannered, can’t-control-your-temper, etc. It’s enough spirituality for him.
I missed that window of opportunity when my oldest wanted to attend church. She was very concerned about death and the afterlife at a young age. She mourned the loss of her grandfathers despite never actually meeting them — they had all passed on decades before she was born. When we moved to the suburbs, I did start to research churches. One was too small. One had really bad parking. One was too big. I did finally find the perfect one; it hosted the pumpkin sale every October and the minister is awesome. So, we do have a church staked out. Now we actually have to show up.
There are times when prayers are necessary. (Did you see a previous post on Mommy Prayers by Tracy Mayor? She’s hysterical. You should check it out). You know, Right-Before-We-Eat-ThanksgivingDinner-Someone-Should-Really-Say-Something. Or Thank-God-The-Child-We-Searched-For-Twenty-Minutes-For-Is-Safe-NEVER-PLAY-HIDE-AND-SEEK-AND-STAY-REALLY-QUIET-AGAIN.
But prayers or just gratitude are important for the little things in life. We like to thank the cook (i.e. me or my husband) for making the dinner whether it’s 3 courses or just bare bones because the cook is tired of cooking. Just a simple, “Thank you for making this dinner, Dad!” The act of appreciation is all the cook is looking for. We don’t even expect everyone to actually like our cooking.
And so this book, A Small Child’s Book of Prayers, is especially sweet. It’s a collection of prayers (and really some are poems) by authors, poets, and prayers that are well known. As in: I see the moon. And the moon sees me; God bless the moon. And God bless me.
Prayers, in any form, to me are an act of gratitude and not necessarily pushing the philosophy and/or politics of any particular religion. (That’s a thorny subject best not broached! My mom’s Buddhist. My mother-in-law is Korean Baptist. You get my drift?) However, if we teach our children to be grateful, this is what separates the spoiled rotten from the empathetic. It might be as simple as thanking the cook each night. And if that inspires the cook to step it up the next night, that is all good!
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BEST #OWNVOICES CHILDREN’S BOOKS: My Favorite Diversity Books for Kids Ages 1-12 is a book that I created to highlight books written by authors who share the same marginalized identity as the characters in their books.