Parenting
Parenting is one of the most challenging and rewarding spiritual practices we can undertake! Below are a few resources to guide and support your parenting practice!
Prayers & Practices for All Ages
(Download and use or adapt select prayers from the Book of Common Prayer, below:
For a Birthday
In the Evening
For those we Love
For Families
For the Care of Children
For Young Persons
For Couples
For Victims of Addiction
For Separation or Divorce (from Changes: Prayers and Services Honoring Rites of Passage)
Prayers for Pets/Pet Loss (from various sources)
Family Rituals
For a Birthday
In the Evening
For those we Love
For Families
For the Care of Children
For Young Persons
For Couples
For Victims of Addiction
For Separation or Divorce (from Changes: Prayers and Services Honoring Rites of Passage)
Prayers for Pets/Pet Loss (from various sources)
Family Rituals
- Daily Rituals: Take time at the end of each day to share "highs" and "lows" from the day that is past. This "Rocks & Water" ritual can be a fun, tangible way to start! You can learn a song (with signs) to accompany the ritual in this video.
- Seasonal Rituals: To Dance with God: Family Ritual & Community Celebration by Gertrud Mueller Nelson offers creative activities and rituals to help families and churches celebrate the seasons of the church year together.
For New & Expectant Parents
Expecting a baby? Contact Sylvia+ so that we can bless you, and lend you an icon to accompany you on your journey towards the birth of your child!
Buy Prayers for Expectant Parents, a book of short daily prayers for each stage of pregnancy, from the Christian tradition.
For more reflections and prayers on pregnancy and birth from the Jewish and Judeo-Christian traditions, see Motherprayer: The Pregnant Woman's Spiritual Companion by Tikva Frymer-Kensky.
Download and use or adapt the following short services and prayers:
The Blessing of a Pregnant Woman (from Enriching our Worship 5)
Thanksgiving for the Birth of a Child (service from The Book of Common Prayer)
Thanksgiving for the Adoption of a Child (service from The Book of Common Prayer)
Thanksgiving for the Gift of a Child (prayer from The Book of Common Prayer)
Prayer for Big Brothers/Sisters (from Changes)
Blessing for a Weaning Mother & Child (original)
For Pregnancy Loss & Other Difficult Circumstances
Have you experienced the loss of a pregnancy? Are you facing difficult decisions relating to pregnancy, childbirth, or parenting? You are not in this alone! The church is a safe space to seek prayer, healing rituals, and a non-judgmental listening ear! Contact Sylvia+ so we can talk.
Download Liturgies and Prayers related to Childbearing, Childbirth, and Loss (Enriching our Worship 5) from the Episcopal Church.
Or download to use or adapt selected, below:
Prayers Surrounding Adoption
Prayers Surrounding Loss of a Child
Prayers Surrounding Infertility
Prayers Surrounding an Unexpected Pregnancy
Prayers Surrounding Difficult Decisions
Prayers Following a Traumatic Birth
A Ritual of Remembrance after Loss (original)
A Video Meditation for Remembrance after Loss (original)
Visit New Mexico Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice for other resources.
Download Liturgies and Prayers related to Childbearing, Childbirth, and Loss (Enriching our Worship 5) from the Episcopal Church.
Or download to use or adapt selected, below:
Prayers Surrounding Adoption
Prayers Surrounding Loss of a Child
Prayers Surrounding Infertility
Prayers Surrounding an Unexpected Pregnancy
Prayers Surrounding Difficult Decisions
Prayers Following a Traumatic Birth
A Ritual of Remembrance after Loss (original)
A Video Meditation for Remembrance after Loss (original)
Visit New Mexico Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice for other resources.
For Parents of School-Aged Children
Buy Changes: Prayers and Services Honoring Rites of Passages from the Episcopal Church, including Prayers and Rites of Passage for Childhood, Young Adulthood, Midlife, Elders, and Remembering the Departed.
Or download to use or adapt selected prayers, below:
Moving from Crib to Bed
Becoming a Big Brother or Sister
Beginning the School Year
Becoming a Reader
Learning to Ride a Bike
Going away to Camp
When a Friend Moves Away
For Parents of Teens
Buy Changes: Prayers and Services Honoring Rites of Passages from the Episcopal Church, including Prayers and Rites of Passage for Childhood, Young Adulthood, Midlife, Elders, and Remembering the Departed.
Or download to use or adapt selected prayers, below:
Reaching Puberty
Earning a Driver's License or Permit
Dating
Graduation
Going to College
Joining the Workforce
For a Journey
Or download to use or adapt selected prayers, below:
Reaching Puberty
Earning a Driver's License or Permit
Dating
Graduation
Going to College
Joining the Workforce
For a Journey
Suggested Reading
The following book suggestions come from fellow parents with particular expertise in early childhood development, psychology, and/or spirituality.
Ages 0-5
Becoming the Parent You Want to Be: A Sourcebook of Strategies for the First Five Years by Keyser and Davis
The Emotional Life of the Toddler by Alicia Lieberman
Mind in the Making by Ellen Galinsky
What's Going on in There? How the Brain and Mind Develop in the First Five Years of Life by Lise Elliot
Your Self-Confident Baby by Magda Gerber
1, 2, 3 the Toddler Years A Practical Guide for Parents and Caregivers by Irene van der Zande
Behavior
Positive Discipline by Jane Nelson
1, 2, 3 Magic by Thomas Phelan
Bullying
The Bully, The Bullied and the Bystander by Barbara Coloroso
Communication
How to Negotiate with Your Child Even When You Think You Shouldn't by Scott Brown
How To Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber & Elaine Mazlish
Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life: Life-Changing Tools for Healthy Relationships by Marshall B. Rosenberg and Arun Gandhi
Divorce & Separation
Good Parenting through your Divorce by Mary Ellen Hannibal
Marriage & Parenting
And Baby Makes Three by John Gottman and Julie Schwartz Gottman
Parenting (General)
Hold onto Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More than Peers by Gordon Neufeld and Gabor Mate
The Gottman Institute
Parenting from the Inside Out by Dan Siegel and Mary Hartzell
Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child by John Gottman
The Whole-Brain Child by Dan Siegel and Tina Bryce Payne
Sexuality
Sex + Faith: Talking with Your Child from Birth to Adolescence by Kate Ott
Beyond the Big Talk: A Parent's Guide to Raising Sexually Healthy Teens - From Middle School to High School and Beyond by Debra W. Haffner and Alyssa Haffner Tartaglione
Not Under My Roof: Parents, Teens, and the Culture of Sex by Amy Schalet
It's Not the Stork!: A Book About Girls, Boys, Babies, Bodies, Families and Friends (Ages 4-8) by Robie H. Harris
It's So Amazing!: A Book about Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families (Ages 7-10) by Robie H. Harris
It's Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health (Ages 10+) by Robie H. Harris
Spirituality
Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting by Myla & Jon Kabat-Zinn
Meditations of The Way of the Cross for Parents by Susan Jones
Teens
Brainstrom: The Power & Purpose of the Teenage Brain by Daniel Seigel
Lost & Found: Adolescence, Parenting, and the Formation of Faith by Amanda Millay Hughes
Becoming the Parent You Want to Be: A Sourcebook of Strategies for the First Five Years by Keyser and Davis
The Emotional Life of the Toddler by Alicia Lieberman
Mind in the Making by Ellen Galinsky
What's Going on in There? How the Brain and Mind Develop in the First Five Years of Life by Lise Elliot
Your Self-Confident Baby by Magda Gerber
1, 2, 3 the Toddler Years A Practical Guide for Parents and Caregivers by Irene van der Zande
Behavior
Positive Discipline by Jane Nelson
1, 2, 3 Magic by Thomas Phelan
Bullying
The Bully, The Bullied and the Bystander by Barbara Coloroso
Communication
How to Negotiate with Your Child Even When You Think You Shouldn't by Scott Brown
How To Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber & Elaine Mazlish
Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life: Life-Changing Tools for Healthy Relationships by Marshall B. Rosenberg and Arun Gandhi
Divorce & Separation
Good Parenting through your Divorce by Mary Ellen Hannibal
Marriage & Parenting
And Baby Makes Three by John Gottman and Julie Schwartz Gottman
Parenting (General)
Hold onto Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More than Peers by Gordon Neufeld and Gabor Mate
The Gottman Institute
Parenting from the Inside Out by Dan Siegel and Mary Hartzell
Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child by John Gottman
The Whole-Brain Child by Dan Siegel and Tina Bryce Payne
Sexuality
Sex + Faith: Talking with Your Child from Birth to Adolescence by Kate Ott
Beyond the Big Talk: A Parent's Guide to Raising Sexually Healthy Teens - From Middle School to High School and Beyond by Debra W. Haffner and Alyssa Haffner Tartaglione
Not Under My Roof: Parents, Teens, and the Culture of Sex by Amy Schalet
It's Not the Stork!: A Book About Girls, Boys, Babies, Bodies, Families and Friends (Ages 4-8) by Robie H. Harris
It's So Amazing!: A Book about Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families (Ages 7-10) by Robie H. Harris
It's Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health (Ages 10+) by Robie H. Harris
Spirituality
Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting by Myla & Jon Kabat-Zinn
Meditations of The Way of the Cross for Parents by Susan Jones
Teens
Brainstrom: The Power & Purpose of the Teenage Brain by Daniel Seigel
Lost & Found: Adolescence, Parenting, and the Formation of Faith by Amanda Millay Hughes