So long Summer Break! The first day of school snuck up on us quick. I'm going to be honest and say that our whole family had a bit of anxiety about how Moo's first day of First Grade would go. Last year, she met the Mean Girls and came home full out bawling on the first day. I'm happy to report that she was all smiles this year!!
She said that she enjoyed her teacher, her classmates are quiet and polite and she's excited to go back. Talk about a complete night and day experience. My hope and prayer is that the remainder of the school year goes off without incident or problems. And speaking of prayer, one of our school morning traditions is starting our day with family prayer. This year I took it one step further and created a special prayer to pray over and with Moo every morning.
Please feel free to adjust this prayer to fit your child(ren). My fondest memories of going to school are the morning prayer sessions we'd do in the car with my mom as drove to either drop us off to school or pick up her bus. The Prayer of Jabez (1 Chronicles 4:9-10) was her favorite to pray with us. And I'm pretty sure she prayed that prayer and many others for us throughout the day.
When I went away to college, my mom and I became prayer partners. We kept prayer journals and called each other if we had a special prayer request that we didn't want to share with others, but needed any extra set of lips to send up a prayer to God's ears. It is my hope that just as prayer helped us to get through school last year, it will not only help us, but give us comfort again this school year!
Do you prayer for or with your kids during the school year?
I am so glad that her day was better this year. Since leaving the classroom I realize how horrific the whole idea of the first day of school is. I would have anxiety for me, my students, and my son. We all just wanted to have a good year, but so many thing are in the air the first week.... Good to know it was all good for you guys...
ReplyDeleteI love this! I have a 10 month old and we pray every morning and night before nap time/bed. I remember my mom always praying, "Now I lay me down to sleep..." when I was younger. I want my girl to have those same fond memories.
ReplyDeleteAmen! Thank you for such a powerful prayer. Every parent will need that. My heart always aches when I imagine what class is like for my little one.
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful that you have a little prayer of well wishes all written up for your daughter. This is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of writing out prayers for my children. I'm glad she had a good first day of school. :)
ReplyDeleteI love how intentional you are in praying for your child. I often pray over them while they are sleeping. But I love the memory you have of your mother praying with you on the way to school and how beautiful that you and your mother are prayer partners. We all need a prayer partner!
ReplyDeleteHello, I enjoyed reading your post and as a former teacher I know how hard this day can be for most children. I think the power of prayer can be incredibly comforting. That's so cool that you and your mom were prayer partners too!
ReplyDeleteI don't have kids in school anymore, but I do remember these days of anxiety and the mean girls.. I love that you all start your morning off with family prayer... A great way to start any day!
ReplyDeleteThanks for that prayer. Most of us parents need something to get us going and blessing our little ones.
ReplyDeleteWhat a relief that her first day went better! I love this prayer. This is not something we did growing up, but it's a tradition I think I'll be starting when little man reaches school age. Thank you! I'll be pinning this for future reference.
ReplyDelete~Heather aka HoJo~
First grade, so exciting! Glad to hear that she's had a much better experience this year, hopefully she continues to enjoy and learn a lot at school.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad that your daughter had a good day! My son is also in first grade this year :) I also posted about Prayers to Pray for Your Children recently. http://www.theorthodoxmama.com/prayers-to-pray-for-your-children/ Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful and meaningful tradition. As I work in the classroom, I see the effect of disinterested and disengaged parenting, and realize that so many children are crippled by their parents. It always does my heart good to see parents who are making it work...in whatever ways they can.
ReplyDeleteK. Elizabeth, this is a lovely prayer. Thank you. My little one is too young for school, but when she starts I'll definitely keep this prayer nearby. I'm glad your daughter's first day went well.
ReplyDeleteAlthough my children are grown now, I always loved it when they would ask me to pray for them. It made me feel like they were listening and trusted God. Thankfully they still do.
ReplyDeleteHappy to hear she had a better time this year! I know my daughter had a bully problem last year, but so far this year she has made a bunch of new friends and is doing really great.
ReplyDeletePraying with those you love is so important! Not only does it foster faith and trust in God, but it also validates the importance of her experiences. Going to school and making new friends is a big deal! Love this!
ReplyDeleteI love this idea! Having a special prayer just for school is such a great way to send children off with their faith and armor everyday. Thank you so much for sharing this idea!
ReplyDeleteI so love this beautiful prayer that you do with your daughter! It lifted my spirits just reading it, and I said the same prayer for myself, because I loved it so much. When I have children, I'm definitely going to incorporate some sort of spiritual practice so they always know they are loved and protected. Need to save this one to use as a template! :) Best of luck with the school year! - Monique
ReplyDeletePraying for you and the family for a wonderful school year ahead!!!
ReplyDeletePraying over our children is the best defense against attacks (either physical or spiritual). What a beautiful prayer warrior Momma your little one has! And, what a neat tradition to carry on from generation to generation.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe that there are mean girls before the first grade. That's horrible. I have a great niece who lives pretty far away and she and I talk over her conflicts and things at school. She's in the 8th grade and some of the things she tells me worries me so much. My own children are grown but we just welcomed our 3 & 4th grand child home almost a year ago and I worry about what it will be like when they start. Have a nice weekend.
ReplyDeleteI have done Mommy's Resolution on Mother's Day to my son. But this idea of Back To School Prayer is wonderful. I would love to make this next school year. Thanks you so much for this lovely idea. Happy parenting !!!
ReplyDeleteWhat an incredibly sweet prayer! I will have to keep this in mind when I have children off to school :)
ReplyDeleteI still pray for each of my children- and grandchildren- every day. Getting through the days are sometimes hard, but with a little divine help, answers and peace come when they are needed- when we think to ask. Thanks for your lovely post, and the reminder of how important communication with our Heavenly Father is!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a wonderful thing to do for your daughter, and you are teaching her to rely on God and not feel alone when her days are hard. I hope she has a great year.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful prayer! I love that you prayed for the teacher too. I use to be a public school teacher and they can use all the prayer they can get! I think it is important to remember to pray for our children when they are with us too. We incorrectly think that we can handle whatever they need if we are there, but they need God when they are with us too.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic prayer. My favorite prayer that I pray over my kids every time we part for the day is: Numbers 6:24-26
ReplyDelete24 “The Lord bless you and keep you;
25 The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
26 The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.”’
What a great tradition and great way for your daughter to know she is loved no matter what happens during her day.
ReplyDeleteI thought the school year came way too quick this year. I was not ready for summer to end at all.
ReplyDeleteThat's a beautiful prayer! I love praying with my littles, and one of my favorite memories with my Mom was her standard Numbers 6:24-26 blessing every time I would leave the house. Hope your daughter's year goes great!
ReplyDeleteI love, love, love this prayer and plan to use it with my own children! Prayer is such a powerful weapon for a parent and one that should never be overlooked or taken for granted! So glad you daughter is having a good year!!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a sweet idea! I love that you pray for your children before they leave for school in the morning. I hope to do that when I have kids one day.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful prayer! Thank you for sharing! My husband and I always pray for our daughter. We have been intentional about entrusting her to God even her future.
ReplyDeleteI love this! School has been a source of anxiety for my children, but especially my son. We pray together before bed each night, but I love the idea of praying over them before they go off to school. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet prayer.
ReplyDeletethis is so beautiful! once your babe is older she will so appreciate this!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love this! I'll have to start this tradition with my babies. We do our evening prayers but I should definitely include them on my prayers for them in the morning.
ReplyDeleteSo happy to hear your daughter didn't have mean girl drama this year. Lovely prayer. My boys are in high school so there's lots of prayers. :)
ReplyDeleteWe always give our children a special prayer of blessing before the school year, but I do need to be better at remembering to pray for their education throughout the year.
ReplyDeletePraying for and over our kids is so important! Thank you for sharing yours. :)
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