If you have the desire to pray, but are not sure how to begin, here are a few tips to get you going.

Baby-Steps

• Give thanks. Mealtime blessings are great way to connect as family around the table and offer thanks to God for our food.
• Ask for strength. Silently or out loud, eyes open or closed (it totally doesn’t matter), “Heavenly Father, I’m feeling exhausted and stressed out. Please give me the strength to make it through the day.”
• Ask for perspective. God maintains perfect perspective even when we’re in the midst of ugly. “Lord, help me look past this Terrible Twos Tantrum and see my daughter just as you do, precious and lovable.”
• Say Goodnight. As you lay your child in bed each night, say a soft prayer to help sooth him or her to sleep, thank God for a specific blessing you experienced that day, and ask God for peace and protection during the night.

It may feel uncomfortable at first, but take comfort in knowing there is really no wrong way to pray!  And learning to pray is one of the most powerful gifts you can give yourself and your children.  Besides, God is never too busy to hear our prayers. In fact, He waits expectantly to hear from us.

For young girls (this book lays a foundation of Godly traits):  His Little Princess by Sheri Rose Shepherd. http://www.christianbook.com/his-little-princess-sheri-shepherd/9781590526019/pd/26016

For tweens and teens: For wonderful resources on modesty and purity, please visit:  http://www.purefreedom.org/ .  You’ll also be able to check out Secret Keeper: The Delicate Power of Modesty by Dannah Gresh and LIES Young Women Believe: and the truth that sets them free by Nancy Leigh DeMoss and Dannah Gresh while you’re there. 

(Special thanks to Susie C. and Clarice T. for your great recommendations!)

Just three years after the birth of Harrison, my second son, I felt a sudden desire, no, an overwhelming need, to compete in my first triathlon. I was never aware of this urge before, but at 37, the effects of mommy-hood were ruthlessly chipping away at my self-esteem. Drowning in doubt over my skills as a mom, failing to find the meaning of life in dirty diapers and laundry, and watching my body turn into an amorphous blob was more than I could take. I needed to prove myself in some other challenging, productive and exciting way. Together with a few of my closest girlfriends, we registered for the 2004 Danskin Triathlon in Austin, Texas.

Training for the race seemed, at times, as challenging as motherhood itself. But the experience taught me more about myself than I’d ever imagined. The most significant revelation actually led to my writing this blog.

DIVING IN: Here’s what happened. I was 1/2 way into an intense treadmill workout, sweating my babyfat off and feeling the rush of adrenalin, when I was struck by an “Endorphin Epiphany.” I suddenly recognized a striking similarity between triathlons and parenting. Good ole Webster defines Triathon (n.) as “an endurance race combining events in swimming, bicyling, and running.” Leave out any one of these events, and you no longer have a true triathlon. I think parenting is also made up of 3 essential parts: prayer, relationship and learning. Without faith, a healthy connection with your child, or the desire to continue learning, parenting becomes something much less than God designed it to be.

DIVING DEEPER: Breaking the definition down further, endurance can be defined as as the ability to stand pain and race as a competition. Excluding parents entranced with heavy doses of Valium, all would agree that parenting requires unending endurance. And if you consider the war between most parental values and the Hollywood values of mainstream society, it’s pretty clear that parenting has serious competition. In fact, I think parents compete on lots of levels. For example, on the inside, I’m sometimes tormented by by the struggle between my worth as a parent and self doubt. But there are tons of other examples (big and small) such as those of a dad struggling to put a shirt on his squirming infant OR a mom’s “No, you may not!” defended head-on by an emphatic “Just watch me!” Anyway you look at it, parenting just may be counted as the ultimate race.

I invite you register to join me in this race of Triathlon Parenting. It’s tons better to train, race and celebrate with a friend than to try to go it alone.