This is a very tender subject for me, because I feel like there is nothing more precious, and important, than a child's relationship with his/her Heavenly Father. Just recently Elder Tad Callister
spoke at our Regional Conference and it was so good, that I took notes
like a mad woman. One specific topic that struck me hard, was teaching our children the power of prayer. I am working on these specifics with my own children this month, trying to make it a habit and I think you should too, whether you are a parent or a grandparent, little children need to know these things!
This is what he said:
Teach our children to pray for things of eternal consequence. Often we pray on "auto pilot" saying the same things over and over. We should teach our children to pray for things that will help them return to their Heavenly Father. For example: strength to make good choices, to obey the commandments, to be worthy to have His Spirit to be with us, to resist the evil and temptations of the world, etc.
Teach them to kneel and pray with fervor.No more laying in bed and saying their prayers! Teach them that kneeling shows respect, and we should think about who it is that we are directing our prayers to, as if He were right there in the room listening. Because He is.
Teach them how to help them make their own prayers come true.He told the story of a little girl who was bothered that her big brother had set several traps to catch some birds. She said a prayer asking that her brother not catch any birds. She later told her mother, " I know he won't catch any birds." Her mother asked how she could be so sure? She replied, "Because after I said a prayer I went and kicked all those traps to pieces." It is a good thing to pray, but we should get to work doing all we can, to help our prayers come true.
Teach them the power of morning prayer. Saying prayers at bedtime seems to be a little easier to remember than having personal prayer in the morning, but Elder Callister said when he began to implement morning prayers in his life, he felt like they had a much bigger impact on his day.
Also....
I just finished reading an article in the Ensign(click here) about a study that was conducted among 5000 teens. The results identified two specific things parents can do to help with their children's confidence and their ability to meet the challenges of today's difficult world.
The first was to strengthen their spiritual environment in the home,
and the second was to maintain a strong and loving relationship with each child.
It is DEFINITELY worth the time to read, if you are a parent. It really made me evaluate how I am doing in these two areas, and I have re-read it often.
