A Child's Prayer

We've been working on praying with Daxton for a long time.  Much to our dismay he just wasn't interested.  In fact he hated praying.  Is that terrible?  He's just an energetic and determined little boy who does things on his own time and in his own way... and if he saw food he sure didn't want to wait around while we prayed about it.  And, holding still and sitting quietly?  He's never been a fan.

So, we hadn't pushed teaching him how to pray because we were still in the being quiet/holding still/not screaming for food stage.  We were totally surprised a couple of months ago while preparing Sunday dinner and we heard Daxton praying.  We were so proud and surprised that we made a pretty big deal about it so he kept repeating it over and over, waiting for us to clap.  Finally we grabbed a camera and captured one of his prayers...

Okay, so it's mostly gibberish and no, I can't translate.  Occasionally I can pick out random words or phrases or animal sounds, but for the most part it's in his own language.  Oh, and according to Daxt it's totally okay to eat during prayers.  He makes up his own rules.  If food is out of reach, then meal time prayers are short because he wants to eat as soon as possible.  Bedtime prayers are longer because he's stalling.  He's got it figured out.

We've loved listening to Daxton as he prays over meals, before bed, or at random times while playing with toys or taking baths.  The other day when I put Daxton down for his nap I heard him praying in his crib.  I just about died, it was so sweet!  I guess he really is paying attention to our bedtime routines and what we've been trying to teach him.

And, last week while at the grocery store he heard an announcement over the loud speaker.  Daxton looked really excited and by the time the store manager said "attention customers there's a sale in our produce department..." Daxton had folded his arms, bowed his head, and closed his eyes tight like we were hearing a prayer over the microphone at church.   

Being a parent is so much fun.