The Prayers of Kids

We've been struggling to get Eli to bed this week. He's always been a difficult sleeper, and any changes to the routine make for a LONG adjustment period for him. This week we put him in a new, twin-sized bed because his previous bed was just getting too small for him. We tried to make everything as close to the same as possible (for example, his head is at the foot of the bed instead of at the headboard, because that is the direction he slept before).

Some nights he has drifted off after one or two attempts, other nights we have been up until after 11pm trying to get him settled in- only to have him show up at our bedroom door at 4:30 am! Tonight he used one of his favorite excuses- that he doesn't know HOW to fall asleep. I told him (again) to stay still, take some deep breaths, and pray until his body relaxes. So I stepped out of the room and a few minutes later I started hearing his prayers. It went something like this:

"Jesus, watch over Mr. Bear and his mommy and his babies. [All of Eli's stuffed animals are relation to Mr. Bear] Please have your hand on them and watch over them. Please help Mr. Bear's brain and my brain to slow down and help us to sleep because we get tired of laying down. Jesus, watch over Santa and all his reindeer. Help all the reindeer to fly and stay with the sled." [We just watched a Christmas movie and some of the reindeer got lost!]
"God, watch over my family. Watch over my mommy and daddy and me. Watch over the baby in my mommy's belly and thank you. Help her to get bigger and bigger and help that baby to grow. [I was totally wanting to cry at this point!] God, have your hand on my mommy and daddy. Did You wash your hands? You can wash them in the sink, but if they're not washed, don't put Your hands on us. AMEN"

So. Precious.
I am so thankful I got to hear that. What a blessing! I added my own prayer- Lord, help me to remember this the next time I'm frustrated with him at 11pm when he won't go to sleep!