Resources

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
Advent ideas for families

Advent Week 4: Prayers & Practices for Parents

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | December 23, 2022

Easy Advent Practices: Week 4 Surprise neighbors with Christmas cookies. Talk with your kids about what it means to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31). Give your child one extra hug each day. With all the bustle and busyness of December, we can forget that the simplest practices bring the most joy. “If I have all…

READ MORE
Advent practices with kids

Advent Week 3: Prayers & Practices for Parents

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | December 16, 2022

Easy Advent Practices: Week 3 This year we’re sharing easy (and free!) ways to deepen your prayer as a parent in Advent: an activity to share with your children and a Scripture verse for you to pray later.  Pray before you buy for each person on your Christmas list. Or keep a prayer list of…

READ MORE
advent for parents

Advent Week 2: Prayers & Practices for Parents

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | December 9, 2022

Easy Advent Practices: Week 2 This year we’re sharing easy (and free!) ways to deepen your prayer as a parent in Advent: an activity to share with your children and a Scripture verse for you to pray later.  Print religious images to pray with. Try Google Image to find artwork with Advent themes, or check…

READ MORE
Advent practices for parents

Advent Week 1: Prayers & Practices for Parents

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | December 2, 2022

Easy Advent Practices: Week 1 This year we’re sharing simple (and free!) ways to deepen your prayer as a parent in Advent: an activity to share with your children and a Scripture verse for you to pray later. Light a candle when you get up in the morning, in the bathroom as you get ready…

READ MORE
how to create across generations

The Fabric of Families: Creativity Across Generations

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | November 25, 2022

This Week on Mothering Spirit Alissa’s essay reveals the power of discovering a new piece of your family’s past. Rachel’s prayer speaks to the creativity of all who will “bake and be blessed” in the holiday season. Resources to keep reflecting “The Way It Is” by William Stafford is a poem about the threads running through the…

READ MORE
creativity motherhood

Creativity in Motherhood

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | November 18, 2022

This Week on Mothering Spirit Kimberly’s essay weaves together her pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago and the unfolding journey of motherhood, creativity, and prayer. Rachel’s prayer reassures every mother who’s longed for the creative callings of her past. Resources to keep reflecting Want to create in this season? Check out Rachel’s brand-new book Let There Be Art:…

READ MORE
forgiving families

Forgiveness in Families: Your Turn

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | November 11, 2022

This Week on Mothering Spirit Karianna’s essay invites us to consider how we forgive our families—our parents as well as our children. Rakhi’s prayer beckons us into the shadowlands of our own hearts, to ask for God’s mercy.  Resources to keep reflecting A forever-favorite essay from Brian Doyle on forgiveness as a father: A Sin. From the Mothering Spirit…

READ MORE
how to become neighbors

Becoming Neighbors: Your Turn

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | November 4, 2022

This Week on Mothering Spirit Cameron’s essay invites us to ponder what it means to be neighbors, through the eyes of a child. Rakhi’s prayer asks where are our prophets and who are our neighbors? Resources to keep reflecting For more of Cameron’s writing, get her free Advent devotional on St. Óscar Romero from her Substack newsletter…

READ MORE
finding light in darkness as mother

Finding Light in Darkness: Your Turn

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | October 28, 2022

This Week on Mothering Spirit Gina’s essay shares how antidepressants deepened her relationship with God and her joy as a mother. Kimberly’s prayer (in Spanish and English) asks for God’s help to choose love even in our struggles. Resources to keep reflecting Gina mentions the prayer “Hail, Holy Queen” in her essay. Find the whole prayer here. Sarah…

READ MORE
The Fire for Justice: Your Turn

The Fire for Justice: Your Turn

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | October 21, 2022

This Week on Mothering Spirit Stina’s essay shares the experience of reading Micah as a mother while the world burns. Rakhi’s prayer asks for mercy, hope, and light in the darkness. Resources to keep reflecting Rakhi’s shop Rakstar Designs offers a print of Micah 6:8 to support the Equal Justice Initiative founded by Bryan Stevenson. For more of Stina’s…

READ MORE
breaking & becoming

Breaking & Becoming: Your Turn

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | October 14, 2022

This Week on Mothering Spirit Rakhi’s essay about grieving her parents gives voice to the mystery of love persisting. Rachel’s prayer reminds us there is space for our stories, for all that is breaking and becoming. Resources to keep reflecting To help grieving children in your life, visit the Dougy Center for resources: The National Grief Center…

READ MORE

How To Behold Your Child

By Laura Kelly Fanucci | March 24, 2023 |
behold your child

Behold. It’s a powerful word in Scripture. An invitation to stop and pay attention. To open our eyes because God is about to do something new. What if we tried to behold our life? To behold our children. To try to see them with God’s eyes. With love. And compassion. And hope. Let yourself try…

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