“When my kids were little, I prayed with them throughout the day,” Janine said. “You may have more time than you think. Ask God to show you.”

He did. I realized that we spend valuable time in the car. One morning on the way to school, I told Amelia, “I’m going to pray for you every day before I drop you off.” I thanked God for her teacher and friends and asked that she learn a lot. She asked me to pray about her spelling test too. When I picked her up at the day-care center, she said, “God helped me, Mom! I got every word right!” We thanked Him immediately for helping her remember what she had studied.

One night before bedtime, I asked Amelia some questions Janine had suggested: “Is anything bothering you? Are you sad or worried?” A moment later Amelia said, “I’m sad because Brooke and I had a fight on the playground.” We asked God to forgive her for her part in the argument and to help her and Brooke make up. Amelia said, “I feel a lot better.”

A vital part of parenting is teaching kids about prayer. We’ve all seen, sometimes to our dismay, that kids model parents’ behavior. If we don’t pray with and for them, how will they ever learn to do it themselves? Children can be powerful and effective prayer warriors. Explaining that prayer is “talking with God” and keeping our prayers simple and fresh (Matt. 6:7–8) will help them understand He is our ever-present Friend. Let’s remember to pray for them in our own prayer times as well.