Maintaining a prayer life is never easy for parents with small children. Grace (McKnight ’09) Frank knows this all too well.
As a mother of five and part-time piano teacher, this former theology and humanities and Catholic culture double major was also a member of the pilot group in Franciscan University’s School of Spiritual Direction. She wrapped up her training this spring.
Along the way, Frank picked up some valuable lessons in deepening her prayer life in the midst of family life. Here are her secrets to a successful prayer life for parents of little ones. P.S. These also apply to those with older children or no children.
1. Make quiet prayer your priority.
“In order to pray at all times, you need to pray at a set time,” says Frank. “Finding time for quiet prayer doesn’t have to be complicated. It can start with just 10 minutes. Maybe when you’re feeding your baby.”
To make that happen, Frank says spouses need to support each other and hold each other accountable.
“In our house, we’ll say to each other, ‘No Bible, no bed.’”
It also helps to have a set prayer space in the house.
“It just needs to be a corner of your bedroom or living room,” she explains, “someplace where you have a favorite image nearby, along with maybe a Bible, a rosary, and journal. If you have everything ready to go, that makes it so much easier.”
2. Invite God into your day all day long.
“God is in this messy bodily life with us,” Frank says. “So, we can draw close to him as we serve our spouse or read to our kids, always meeting Christ in those moments because he is there.”
Praying little aspirations throughout the day, she continues, is another way to grow in our awareness of Christ’s presence. Morning offerings, quick prayers of praise, and short invocations are all ways to connect with God.
“It’s as simple as offering little cries to Jesus throughout the day as you think of him,” she notes.
3. Avoid unnecessary distractions.
Parents of small (and big children), face endless distractions through the day, so Frank advises looking for those that can be eliminated.
“Limit the time on your phone,” she says. “Cut back on social media. Skip reading magazines. Avoid or reduce anything that will crowd your thoughts with voices of the world, so you don’t have to fight for silence.”
4. Pray with your children.
“There are so many ways you can do this,” Frank explains. “Pray morning prayer with them. Pray before meals. Say a quick Hail Mary with them. Read a prayer book to them or share stories about the saints. What I’ve found is that this is so encouraging for me. As I share those stories and prayers with them, I am built up and draw closer to the Lord.
5. Adjust your expectations.
This advice, says Frank, is especially important for new moms and dads. “If you had a routine prayer life before having kids, it can be hard to adjust,” she stresses. “But you have to change your expectations of what your prayer life is going to look like. It won’t be the same.
That’s OK, she adds, noting that God “invited you into this vocation and understands” its demands and limitations.
“Lastly,” she concludes, “he is compassionate with you. So, you should be compassionate with yourself.
