Heavenly Father,

At this point in the summer,

I admit, Lord, my patience is thin. 

I want to enjoy these routine-free days, 

but I often come to resent them. 

There are more dishes in the sink 

than I have podcasts to listen to.

More boredom and bickering,

messes and meltdowns,

and resorting to screentime 

than I would like to admit. 

Would you breathe your peace 

into our long days, Lord? 

When the chore chart goes out the window,

and the 2nd-grade summer worksheets go unused,

help me reach for grace instead of perfection,

for relationships over best-laid plans. 

Help me focus on what matters, Lord,

seeing our unstructured time as 

opportunities for connection and growth 

rather than space for me to control. 

Help me truly see my children, listening well

to their questions and ponderings,

and in their curiosity, may I see you, Father, 

shaping their tender hearts.

Help me meet my children where they are at,

rather than the other way around. 

Keep my fatigue and adult cares 

from getting in the way of their joy. 

I ask Lord, for the strength to 

guide them well through this 

never-again-summer they are 

tumbling through. 

Thank you for each of these days,

for each of these children. 

We depend on you, God, 

for all that we need. 

Amen.