The Place of Learning

I remember my first prayers.  They were prayed on my knees at my bedside.  My mother was kneeling beside me leading me and teaching me lessons I did not realize I was learning.  For sure I knew I was learning a simple children's bedtime prayer that children have probably been taught to pray since before time began.  I did not think much back then that I was being taught to kneel before the God to whom I was praying. At the time I could not really get my mind around God which, of course, is still true.  I learned that prayer was a part of life.  

I am not sure how much explanation was given about why I should pray.  I was told to do it and taught how to do it by someone I trusted.  No more was needed.   One of the things our children still need are lessons in prayer.  More than just lessons, they need examples.  They need to know that praying is not just something done in church on Sunday, but something which is important enough to do every day.  

The one who has the most influence in this teaching are the parents they love and trust.  Parents today invest inordinate amounts of time taking their children to ball fields, dance studios, and all kinds of child oriented programs.  They all can be teachers of life lessons, but when our children reach adulthood and get knocked down by the the loss of a parent, or a spouse, or a divorce, or the loss of a job they need to have memories of learning to pray and learning the importance of faith in God.  The one place any child learns these important life lessons is in their home.  Their parents are the best teachers.