Teaching my kids to pray without forcing it

2d ago1 min read

Been struggling with this. I want my kids to have a real relationship with God, not just go through the motions at dinner. My 7yr old asked me last week why we pray if God already knows what we need. Instead of giving him the Sunday School answer, I actually had to sit with that question. We talked about how prayer is more about us connecting with Him than telling Him stuff He doesn't know. Now he prays about weird stuff like his baseball glove and I'm just here trying not to laugh while being genuinely proud he's actually engaging. Anyone else dealing with this?

3 comments92 views

Comments(3)

TTony M.New Dad1d ago

The struggle is real. With three kids I've learned you can't control their spiritual journey, only model it. Sometimes the best prayers happen in the car on the way to soccer practice when they're just talking to you about their day.

MMikeNew Dad1d ago

Man, the hardest part is resisting the urge to lecture them about it. I found that just answering their questions when they ask them, without pushing an agenda, creates way more genuine curiosity. Kids can smell when you're trying to force something.

PPhil M.New Dad1d ago

This hits home for me. I've been trying the same thing with my daughter. I think the key is letting them see you actually pray and talk about faith naturally, not like it's a chore. When she sees me praying before tough days or thanking God for stuff, she started doing it on her own without me asking.