I'm not 100% certain I knew exactly what Uncle Tony meant at that time. I could however understand the emotion and sincerity with which he said it. Enough that it was impressed upon my heart and etched into my mind.
As I've grown older, devoted my life to God, and had children of my own, I've come to understand the meaning of Uncle Tony's prayer. It's not about teaching a certain prayer to your children, "Now I lay me down to sleep", or teaching them a pattern for prayer. Although those things aren't bad to do either.
It's about teaching your children to speak with God. It's about letting them know that He is closer than a brother and a constant comfort. It's about teaching them to develop a friendship with and pour out their heart to someone that will never leave them.
I believe the prayer Uncle Tony prayed is also about this:
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. -Proverbs 22:6
Parents have responsibility to their children. They are to meet the child's physical needs: food, water, shelter, etc. They are also to meet the child's mental/emotional needs: love, affection, affirmation, etc.
Most good and well meaning parents do the aforementioned activities. But, how many of us parents help meet the child's most important need of all: Spiritual needs? We are Spiritual beings with a physical body. That being said, there is no way we should neglect the responsibility we have as parents to introduce our children to a relationship with God. This relationship is built through prayer.
So today I say the same prayer as my Uncle Tony Killscrow did so many years ago... "God, let me teach my children how to pray."
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