Don't worry, I'm just kidding. Could I be the only one who has not had a proper prayer, full of reverence and connection to God, since the birth of my first daughter?
Obviously we all know kids are distracting. When it was just my now two year old, I would try to pray while she napped, or sat with someone else. But now she is napping less, and often wants to be around me, interacting and playing. So my prayer has become hurried, and I usually do not have time for extra prayers, or anything beyond the basic requirements. Even though she has developed an interest in praying with us, it's not so easy to concentrate with her standing next to me, reciting her makeshift Arabic supplications.
But that's not my only problem now. Since her sister came into our lives 7 months ago, prayer has become more of an exercise. One moment, I am stretching my arm as far as possible to snatch something out of her mouth that should not be eaten. Another moment, I am kicking out a leg to block her from a pile of wires to the left of me or trying to uncurl her hands from a swatch of her sister's hair. All while trying to maintain my position in prayer.
Last night, our evening prayer was an absolute circus. While the two year loves to model us, don a scarf and lay her prayer mat down next to us, her sister has her own plans. Those plans include trying to eat the prayer mat, going after our heads in prostration, and generally chasing her down as her sister as she tried to get away from her. My husband and I were on the verge of laughter the entire prayer, and broke out laughing as soon as it was over.
It made for a fun evening, but now I wonder, did we miss out on that prayer?
Please share your advice be on how to pray with kids around. I look forward to hearing it.
