Establishing prayer routines in a child

[Sweetmoi]

Re: Establishing prayer routines in a child

@Sahar02

^ But I think sometimes you need to push a bit to help children (and adults) get into the routine. What’s wrong with going through the motions AT LEAST, so that you keep it part of your lifestyle, and one day it becomes a source of comfort/inspiration to you? I think your sis is namazi partly because your mother insisted on it as part of her lifestyle as well as her own.

Like I said, you should encourage your child to pray. That doesnt mean pushing them or reminding them 5 times a day. I’m sorry, but anything which you’re pushed/forced to do 5 times a day, wont just suddenly become a source of inspiration all of sudden. I’ve yet to see that. I know plenty of arab or desi kids around me who were pushed to pray when being younger, but never had their heart into it. These kind of kids dont become regular namazi nor do they find any inspiration in namaz, as they always see it as a burden. Thats at least what I have seen around me.

But I do agree. Parents should lead my example. My mothers strategy has always been to tell religious stories to all of us when we were younger and my younger siblings read the Quran at home instead of going to Masjid, so they prayed one namaz all together. I think that was a motivation factor as the kids enjoyed doing it together. With my elder sibling, who went to Masjid, there was no such thing as namaz together. Instead they were reminded/pushed by mum, they have a more unregular relationship with namaz ..