Spiritual Practices with Kiddos: Morning Cuddle

I accidentally posted this on my blog instead of in advice. (I'm a minti newbie.) Hope it helps you find a new path to praying/meditating with your children!

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One of the things that interest me most about parenting is watching the spiritual development of my children. I

enjoy watching and watering their little souls, and they engage with the world around them and the emotional and spiritual unseen world that seems to occupy so much of my girl’s time.   As an ordained minister and a Jesus-y kind of person, I’m pretty attentive to soulcare and spiritual growth. But I’ve also see how damaging organized religion can be to supple and explorative souls. The path that’s unfolded before me has led me down an unbeaten path, and I’ve had to collect tools for the journey – for me and for my kids. Along the way we’ve picked up some things that are helping my children tend to their souls. Maybe some of them will help you and your family as well.  

 Dream a Little Dream with Me: One of the simple soulcare things that I do with my girls is to have a morning cuddle time. Each morning the girls come into my bed for some snuggling and conversation. I always ask them if they’ve had any dreams – good or bad. Often they don’t remember their dreams, but sometimes they do and we talk about the emotions and ideas that are connected to them. I’ve found that my dreams often teach me things, especially in times of indecision or chaos. So I’m trying to help my children be attentive to their dream life as well. When the girls do share their dreams with me, I’m surprised how much insight I gain into their joys and their trials. And if nothing else, it’s a nice bonding activity to laugh together over how silly our dreams are!  

Circle of Love: After we share our dreams (I share mine too) I ask the girls what kind of ‘prayer’ they want to do for the day. Cate (age six) usually chooses ‘circle prayer,’ more officially known as encircling prayer.   To do encircling prayer I make a circle with my hands by touching my thumb and forefingers together and curling the rest of my fingers around to make a little protective back wall. I ask Cate what or who she wants to encircle. She often says, ‘school,’ or ‘our house,’ or sometimes even ‘sissy.” Then Cate and I say, “Encircle us God with your Love, put __________ on the inside, keep __________ on the outside.” We take turns saying our own pairs, while Cate pokes her finger inside and outside the circle of my hands. For instance, Cate might say, “put having fun with friends on the inside, put being a bully on the outside.” After we each do a pair or two Cate say, “Can I do a silly one?!?!?!” I acquiesce and she says something like, “Put boogers on the inside, put candy on the outside. Wah-ha-ha-hahah!” (Nothing is funnier than boogers to a first grader.) I put in my silly choices too so I can share in the fun. Then we close our prayer time with the phrase, “Encircle us Lord with your love, for you are love and in your love we stand.”   Then we go downstairs for toaster waffles.   This little morning rhythm gives our family time a wonderful sweetness; starts our day of on a peaceful, positive note; and give my children some skills for taking care of their spiritual selves. I hope you find it helpful as well.   Stay tuned for more prayer/meditation options to try with your kiddos.   Much Shalom!