The home is a door to the kingdom of God, the kingdom of true happiness. Let all the members of the family gather together, at a prayer meeting—even if it is for ten to fifteen minutes. This will give a new tone to the home. At a prominent place in your home, keep a big, beautiful picture of some great one—Krishna or Rama, Buddha or Jesus, Zoroaster or Guru Nanak, Mira or Mahavira, Baha’u’llah or Kabir or a saint of humanity—to whom you feel drawn. Whenever you or the children leave the house or enter it, bow down to the picture and offer a small prayer.
If children could be taught to surrender themselves to the grace of God and the Guru, it would be the best thing that could happen to them. Let them realise that God and the Guru are always at hand to protect them, guard them, and prevent them from yielding to evil and temptation. Teach them to remember their God and Guru first thing, when they awaken, and the last thing, before they fall asleep. They should be taught also, to repeat the name of God and their supplication to the Guru, during the course of the day. This will help them do well in their studies, it will give them better concentration and focus, it will guard them against all danger and evil.
When prayer becomes a part of your child’s life, it lays down the spiritual foundation for his wholesome development.
It is crucial for children to be taught the power and value of silence. Living in this fast, noisy age, children are often full of restless energy. It is vital that we teach them to sit still and observe silence for at least a few moments. This is where satsang becomes essential. Initiating children into the satsang at an early age, I think, is a highly desirable practice. Sitting in prayer at the satsang will become an effective way of calming them down, and helping them to overcome their restless nature.
When prayer becomes a part of your child’s life, it lays down the spiritual foundation for his wholesome development. When you teach your child to cultivate absolute faith in God, you are also teaching him to tackle all problems—physical, emotional and spiritual—in the best possible way.