Would you like to incorporate more prayer into your family’s routine?
In this post we will read a quotation about the effects of praying with our children and explore the idea of utilizing Baha’i music to add more prayer time to our days.
Quotation
[quote]Every day at first light, ye gather the Bahá’í children together and teach them the communes and prayers. This is a most praiseworthy act, and bringeth joy to the children’s hearts: that they should, at every morn, turn their faces toward the Kingdom and make mention of the Lord and praise His Name, and in the sweetest of voices, chant and recite.
These children are even as young plants, and teaching them the prayers is as letting the rain pour down upon them, that they may wax tender and fresh, and the soft breezes of the love of God may blow over them, making them to tremble with joy.[/quote]
(Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, p. 139)
Daddy’s Thoughts
Being the father of two energetic young boys, I am always looking for healthy ways of harnessing their energy. During family prayer time it can be hard for them to sit still with their arms and legs crossed, even for 2 seconds! So one thing we sometimes do is play a CD with Baha’i prayers or quotes that the boys can sing to as part of family prayer time. They start moving their shoulders and wiggling their legs around to the beat, and even though we encourage them to sit still we feel a bit of movement is fine for their age. I often hear them singing the melodies of the prayers and writings later on in the day while they are playing with their toys.
Mom shares: “When I am feeling my mood drop low, I often put on a Baha’i CD with some prayers and Writings to help lift my mood and keep me positive… I often find I can talk to my children about what we are listening to and it will make us both feel better and lift our spirits to a better place.
We can dance around to the music, sing along, or just play with it in the background. It can uplift our mood and also help me change my focus to be more positive.”
Tool
Find some Baha’i music you enjoy and choose a time to listen to it. Whether it’s after breakfast, before bed time, or in the car, get a CD or download some music onto your phone/MP3 player and set it up to share with the family.
Here are a few of our favorite child-friendly albums which you may wish to order or download, depending on how you envision your family using the music:
- At First Light is a series of 20 quotations and 20 prayers put to music.
- Tender Years is a compilation of prayers, sacred writings, and lullabies especially written for young children and families.
- Mana has quite a few CDs with upbeat prayers and quotations, which are also very useful as they go along with the Ruhi books.
If you are looking for more Baha’i music, be sure to check out 9 Star Media to find a very extensive range of Baha’i inspired media of all genres.
You may also like to brush up on your own Baha’i tunes so that you can sing them to your children when you do not have a music player handy. Here is a lovely website which is a compilation of tunes for the quotations and prayers included in the Ruhi Children’s Classes. Listen to them beforehand so you can sing the songs to your children, or make it a project for the family to learn together!
Questions for Reflection
Many families listen to music in the car. Do you have any Baha’i CDs in your car and are they ones your family enjoys listening to regularly?
Our children are learning from us when we choose what music to listen to. What ideas, images, messages, and morals does your music promote? Is this what you want your children to respect, value, and believe?
[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://www.enablemetogrow.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/zafandchels.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]This post was written by Chelsea and Zafar, a couple living in Australia with two young children. Daddy’s Tool Box is a series of posts that share Bahá’í quotations and ideas relating to fathers, featuring a practical tool for how we can practically implement the guidance into our homes. Click here for more information and to see a list of Daddy’s Tool Box posts.[/author_info] [/author]
What Baha’i music does your family enjoy? Please share in the comments.
