Resources

Lent encouragement

Encouragement for When You Want to Give Up on Lent

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | March 17, 2023

If you’ve given up on Lent, If your best intentions have fallen short, If you want to quit, If you never got started Imagine what you might say to your child… When they’re struggling with school or work, When they’re feeling overwhelmed, When they want to quit something they’ve started, When they’re angry, hungry, or…

READ MORE
parent lent breath prayers

Breath Prayers for Parents in Lent

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | March 10, 2023

For fasting Inhale: Help me let go. Exhale: Let me find You. Inhale: When I feel like I lack Exhale: Let me know You are near. For alms-giving Inhale: Help me give what I can. Exhale: Show Your face to my heart. Inhale: Whatever we have Exhale: Is given to share. For deeper prayer Inhale:…

READ MORE
Scripture to pray with during Lent for parents

Lenten Scriptures for Parents

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | March 3, 2023

Parents and children are at the heart of Lent. Let these Scripture passages remind you of the power of sharing your faith with your kids in this sacred season. Teaching children You shall put these words of mine in your heart and soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and…

READ MORE
Praying during impossible times as parents

Prayers for Parenting in Impossible Times

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | February 24, 2023

School shootings. Pandemic parenting. Racial violence, wars, natural disasters, civil unrest. Parenting right now can feel impossible. When you’re fumbling for the words to pray, our Mothering Spirit writers have powerful prayers to give voice to your deepest fears and hopes as a parent. A Prayer for Gun Violence in Schools by Kayla Craig A…

READ MORE
lent parent

3 Ways to Prepare for Lent (When You’re A Parent)

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | February 17, 2023

1. Focus on what’s simple Try these 3 easy approaches for Lent: Read the details here: How To Live Lent as a Busy Mother. 2. Find a good book: for yourself and for your child Here is a list of our favorite Lenten books for children (and more ideas for Easter basket books for birth-6 years and 6-12 years). Don’t forget…

READ MORE
hard days of parenting prayers

Prayers for the Hard Days of Parenting

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | February 10, 2023

Angry? Frustrated? Stressed out? We’ve been there. We’ve prayed through it, too. Here are a few words for when you feel like you’re going to lose it as a parent. 1. Breath prayers Inhale: Breathe in peace (love, hope, joy).Exhale: Breathe out fear (anger, grief, stress). Inhale: You are with me, God.Exhale: I am not…

READ MORE
prayers for sick child

Prayers for When Your Child is Sick

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | February 3, 2023

1. A Breath Prayer The easiest prayers for a sick child, to pray at their bedside as you keep vigil while they are suffering. Pray one line as you breathe in and one line as you breathe out. Inhale: Heal my child, Lord. Exhale: Heal me, too. Inhale: You love my child. Exhale: Help me…

READ MORE
ways to pray about phone use as parent

3 Ways to Pray about Your Phone Use as a Parent

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | January 27, 2023

Holly’s essay about video games and Meta’s blessing for a child’s first phone got us thinking about more ways to pray about technology and our families. What would you add to the list to approach our own screen time as parents from a faith perspective? 1. Pray about your own screen time 2. Make a…

READ MORE
wrestling with faith as parent

3 Practical Tips When You’re Wrestling With Faith

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | January 20, 2023

1. Turn to well-worn prayers. Try these by Thomas Merton and St. Anselm of Canterbury if you need words for your wondering or wandering. 2. Pray with the story of Jacob wrestling with God. The same night [Jacob] got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the…

READ MORE
how to pray through birth

Want to Pray through Birth?

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | January 13, 2023

At Mothering Spirit, we believe mothers need more resources for pregnancy and birth, both the beautiful and painful parts of bringing new life into the world. Here are a few of our favorites: 1. When you’re preparing for birth Get a copy of our e-books: Prayers for Pregnancy & Prayers for Birth. The collections feature prayers for pregnancy…

READ MORE
pray Epiphany mother

3 Ways to Pray through Epiphany

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | January 6, 2023

1. Light a candle before dinner tonight. Ask your kids to see if you can sit in silence together for a whole minute. Enjoy whatever moment of quiet you can get with this symbol of Christ’s light. 2. Write down one new thing you have learned about God in the past year—even a small “epiphany.”…

READ MORE
pray through Christmas

3 Ways to Pray through Christmas

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | December 30, 2022

1. Pray with Luke 2:41-52 that inspired Anna’s essay. What word or phrase speaks to you as a parent here? Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. When the festival was ended and they started…

READ MORE

Encouragement for When You Want to Give Up on Lent

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | March 17, 2023 |
Lent encouragement

If you’ve given up on Lent, If your best intentions have fallen short, If you want to quit, If you never got started Imagine what you might say to your child… When they’re struggling with school or work, When they’re feeling overwhelmed, When they want to quit something they’ve started, When they’re angry, hungry, or…

READ MORE

Breath Prayers for Parents in Lent

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | March 10, 2023 |
parent lent breath prayers

For fasting Inhale: Help me let go. Exhale: Let me find You. Inhale: When I feel like I lack Exhale: Let me know You are near. For alms-giving Inhale: Help me give what I can. Exhale: Show Your face to my heart. Inhale: Whatever we have Exhale: Is given to share. For deeper prayer Inhale:…

READ MORE

Lenten Scriptures for Parents

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | March 3, 2023 |
Scripture to pray with during Lent for parents

Parents and children are at the heart of Lent. Let these Scripture passages remind you of the power of sharing your faith with your kids in this sacred season. Teaching children You shall put these words of mine in your heart and soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and…

READ MORE

Prayers for Parenting in Impossible Times

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | February 24, 2023 |
Praying during impossible times as parents

School shootings. Pandemic parenting. Racial violence, wars, natural disasters, civil unrest. Parenting right now can feel impossible. When you’re fumbling for the words to pray, our Mothering Spirit writers have powerful prayers to give voice to your deepest fears and hopes as a parent. A Prayer for Gun Violence in Schools by Kayla Craig A…

READ MORE

3 Ways to Prepare for Lent (When You’re A Parent)

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | February 17, 2023 |
lent parent

1. Focus on what’s simple Try these 3 easy approaches for Lent: Read the details here: How To Live Lent as a Busy Mother. 2. Find a good book: for yourself and for your child Here is a list of our favorite Lenten books for children (and more ideas for Easter basket books for birth-6 years and 6-12 years). Don’t forget…

READ MORE

Prayers for the Hard Days of Parenting

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | February 10, 2023 |
hard days of parenting prayers

Angry? Frustrated? Stressed out? We’ve been there. We’ve prayed through it, too. Here are a few words for when you feel like you’re going to lose it as a parent. 1. Breath prayers Inhale: Breathe in peace (love, hope, joy).Exhale: Breathe out fear (anger, grief, stress). Inhale: You are with me, God.Exhale: I am not…

READ MORE

Prayers for When Your Child is Sick

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | February 3, 2023 |
prayers for sick child

1. A Breath Prayer The easiest prayers for a sick child, to pray at their bedside as you keep vigil while they are suffering. Pray one line as you breathe in and one line as you breathe out. Inhale: Heal my child, Lord. Exhale: Heal me, too. Inhale: You love my child. Exhale: Help me…

READ MORE

3 Ways to Pray about Your Phone Use as a Parent

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | January 27, 2023 |
ways to pray about phone use as parent

Holly’s essay about video games and Meta’s blessing for a child’s first phone got us thinking about more ways to pray about technology and our families. What would you add to the list to approach our own screen time as parents from a faith perspective? 1. Pray about your own screen time 2. Make a…

READ MORE

3 Practical Tips When You’re Wrestling With Faith

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | January 20, 2023 |
wrestling with faith as parent

1. Turn to well-worn prayers. Try these by Thomas Merton and St. Anselm of Canterbury if you need words for your wondering or wandering. 2. Pray with the story of Jacob wrestling with God. The same night [Jacob] got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the…

READ MORE

Want to Pray through Birth?

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | January 13, 2023 |
how to pray through birth

At Mothering Spirit, we believe mothers need more resources for pregnancy and birth, both the beautiful and painful parts of bringing new life into the world. Here are a few of our favorites: 1. When you’re preparing for birth Get a copy of our e-books: Prayers for Pregnancy & Prayers for Birth. The collections feature prayers for pregnancy…

READ MORE

3 Ways to Pray through Epiphany

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | January 6, 2023 |
pray Epiphany mother

1. Light a candle before dinner tonight. Ask your kids to see if you can sit in silence together for a whole minute. Enjoy whatever moment of quiet you can get with this symbol of Christ’s light. 2. Write down one new thing you have learned about God in the past year—even a small “epiphany.”…

READ MORE

3 Ways to Pray through Christmas

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | December 30, 2022 |
pray through Christmas

1. Pray with Luke 2:41-52 that inspired Anna’s essay. What word or phrase speaks to you as a parent here? Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. When the festival was ended and they started…

READ MORE