5 Simple Ways to Pray for Your Children

I’ve been a mom for almost 13 years now. I have so much to learn still as my children enter their teens and twenties. We have yet to pray through highschool and learning to drive and heartbreaks and vocational decisions.

Some days, I feel fairly confident that the Holy Spirit is filling my mind and heart with beautiful words to pray for my children. Then there are the times that I’m at loss, except I know my sweet offspring certainly need my prayers. I’m often left with a desperate “Lord, help her/him” or at best, a full decade of the Rosary.

It’s those times that I appreciate having some options, and some other words scripted for me. The Holy Spirit knows we need more than our selves can muster, and it’s so wonderful to have ideas and prayers like these from our Catholic tradition.

1- Prayer to Our Lady of Perpetual Help
How can you go wrong with prayer to Our Lady? And prayer to Our Lady of Perpetual Help? I am adding this to my daily prayers, starting today. Perpetual help is something we all are in need of.

2-Psalms turned into personalized prayers
My favorite, simple way to pray for my children (besides a heart-felt Ave), is with the Psalms. In particular, this one:
“Show me, Lord, your way, so I may walk in your truth, guide my heart to fear your name.” I replace all the pronouns with my children’s names and him/her, and trust that God will lead them. Click on the image below for a printable of these for your home. 

3-Strength in numbers
Do not underestimate the power of prayers from your people. Who are your people, your tribe, your trusted family and friends in the faith? Turn them into prayer warriors for your children. You never have to share details if that makes you uncomfortable, but do ask others to support your efforts in prayers. Start with your child’s Godparents! Praying for your child, their Godchild, is the job they signed up for when they said “yes” to the Godparent role. Having an army of prayer warriors rallying behind you for your child will make a difference. You’ll know you’re not alone in praying for the child, and your child will benefit from so many lifting him or her up.

4-Offer Masses and Adoration
If you’re organized enough to schedule a Mass to be offered for your child on their birthday, or Baptism anniversary, or any other day, that is GREAT. I have aspirations of doing this, but have yet to be so organized to actually get it done. You can offer any Sunday Mass for your child, though. You can also take time to visit Jesus in Adoration and offer that time for your child.

5-Offer it Up, Buttercup
Yup, I said it. Offer it up. Stop complaining about your son’s socks tossed in a nasty sweaty ball by the couch, and toss them into the laundry with a prayer instead of a grumble (note to self: work on this a bit more). Use the time spent driving your brood of young ones to soccer and music lessons and swim and theater and friends’ houses as an offering for them. Any little or big thing you do for your child can be done in a spirit of prayer and sacrifice for them. Laundry. Dishes. Washing the bathroom mirror. Buying new jeans for the 3rd time this year, because that kid has grown so fast and ripped holes in knees. Offer it all up. Let all that you do, be done in love. (1 Corinthians 16:14)

For more great ideas, read this about prayer with and for teens.