We've been praying before meals and bedtime with the toddler for about a year now, and it's been mostly parent-led until recently.
A month or so ago, the toddler got the hang of praying and began saying his own prayers.
Four nights ago, this was his prayer:
The toddler: God, thank you for mommy and daddy.
My husband: Anything else?
The toddler: For house and doggy.
My husband: Yes, thank you for those things, too, God. Anything else?
The toddler: For rake, shovel and oars. Amen.
My husband, smiling: Yes, amen.
And two nights ago, the toddler shared some of his thoughts about praying with us:
My husband: Do you want to pray tonight?
The toddler: No, daddy pray.
My husband: Ok, daddy will pray. God, thank you for today. Thank you for our home, food and for our family.
The toddler: No, daddy. For grandma and buba.
My husband: And thank you for grandma and buba. Lord, we also pray for mommy and baby brother to be healthy, and please help [the toddler] to be healthy and have a good night's sleep.
The toddler: Daddy, [say] thank you for Grandma Puppy.
My husband: And for Grandma Puppy. Do you want to pray to God, too?
The toddler: No, daddy pray.
My husband: OK, Lord, thank you for my job and help us to know you more and to be good parents to our boys.
The toddler: And say for papa and grandma Jean. And grandma Judy and papa Brian and Christy and Aunt Jill.
My husband: Yes, Lord, thank you for them, too. Amen.
The toddler: Amen. And for doggy. Amen.
Apparently, my hubby's prayers were not living up to the toddler's expectations. I love getting little glimpses into what he's thankful for ... and I love that it includes the things I often take for granted -- like rakes, shovels and oars!
Super cute. My son struggles with getting silly which is not what it is about. Oh how I love little boys and potty words. Can your son teach my son to be thankful too?
ReplyDeleteHi! Hope all is well, thought I'd let you know that I am now on Blogger, and I'm totally blogstalking you:)
ReplyDeleteAwww, I *heart* the way he thinks. And Daddy's prayers were totally not all-inclusive like they should have been, huh?
ReplyDeleteOh! So sweet to see the world through his prayers!
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