Prayer time

Baby K is probably one of our more free-spirited, rebellious children - especially when it comes to prayer time. Whenever we kneel down for family prayer, she thinks that it is time to run around and be crazy and goof off. We're not quite sure why she doesn't want to join us, so lately we have really started to clamp down on her and make her sit with one of us while the prayer is being said (which usually means she sits with me because she throws a fit if anyone else tries to hold her). Dinner time prayer isn't much better and she usually digs right into her food or drink while we are praying, so we have started not giving her anything until after the prayer has been said.

Well, a few weeks ago we had just finished the evening family prayer and the older kids were off to bed so it was just me, DH and Baby K watching some T.V. in the family room. After a few minutes I realized that Baby K was on the floor next to the couch where I was sitting and she was looking up at me. I finally clued in on what she was doing - she was kneeling on the floor with her arms folded. When she saw that I was watching her, she bowed her head and said, "Heavenly Father" - very clearly. Then she looked up at me and then she bowed her head again and said, "Amen". After she said "amen", she upfolded her arms and looked up at me with a big grin on her face! It was the cutest thing! I quietly got DH's attention while she did the whole thing one more time. Then she got up and found a little Polly Pocket doll - one of the few that we own that has bendable arms - and proceeded to fold the dolls arms and pretend like it was saying a prayer too.

Unfortunately, Baby K hasn't done this since that one incident and she still tries to be unruly during the prayers, but we know that on some level she really is paying attention to what is going on and learning.