Parenting Prayer

I heard this prayer recently and it really resonated with me. Thought I'd share:

Dear Lord,

Thank you for this child that I call mine; not my possession but my sacred charge. Teach me patience and humility so that the best I now may flow in his being. Let me always remember, parental love is my natural instinct but my child's love must ever be deserved and earned; That for love I must give love, That for understanding I must give understanding, That for respect, I must give respect; That, as I was the giver of life, so must I be the giver always. Help me to share my child with life and not to clutch at him for my own sake. Give me courage to do my share to make this world a better place for all children and my own.

Amen.