What is the most powerful tool we can use to bring us success in the chinuch of our children?

A friend of mine had been going through a most difficult stage with his mother; they had not been getting along well, and she became upset with him often. On erev Rosh Hashanah during that period, he inadvertently left the light on in his mother’s room. His mother knew that she would not be able to fall asleep in the light and that her entire yom tov would be ruined, and she was livid. My unfortunate friend went outside to look for a non-Jew who would turn off the light, but all his waiting and searching proved fruitless. Finally, despondent and with nowhere to turn, he uttered a brief, despairing tefillah to Hashem: "Hashem, please save me!" and just a few minutes later the light bulb in his mother’s room burned out and the room was dark. Prayer can be effective in ways we may never have imagined. It has a tremendous power!

A religious person I know of was taking a college course in Los Angeles. One day the teacher invited a guest lecturer from the Far East who dabbled in magic. The woman asked for volunteers from the audience and demonstrated an array of amazing abilities such as being able to tell people what they were thinking, etc. Our friend noticed however that whenever he would volunteer the lady would strangely avoid him.

Wishing to get the bottom of this he made up with his fellow students that at the next call for volunteers no one would raise their hands except for him.

And that is precisely what they did. The next time the woman asked for volunteers no one raised their hand except for our friend the religious Jew. "Any other volunteers? " she asked. When there was no reaction from the audience she had no choice but to use our friend for her next demonstration. Proceeding directly to his place, she stood in front of him, put her hands on her head and began to concentrate.

Suddenly she turned pale and dropped to the floor in a faint. That was the end of the lecture.

Upon being questioned afterwards she said, "From the moment I entered the room I sensed the presence of another power far greater than my own. I didn’t know exactly what this power was but I knew that it was emanating from this man." She therefore tried avoiding him as much as possible. When this was no longer an option she approached him. At that moment she felt all her power being swallowed up by this great power. At that point she collapsed in a faint. Upon being questioned as to the identity of this "Power" she replied, "I don’t know exactly what it is but I do know that it comes from prayer."

Prayer is powerful and it can bring us many things. It certainly is a major factor in helping us succeed with our children.

There is no reason for any parent to wait for a frighteningly serious situation to develop, chas veshalom. It is certainly worthwhile to pray frequently for each of you children, and this need not necessarily involve sitting for hours over a sefer Tehillim. Short tefillos, preferably in your native language, may be said often – while waiting in your car, waiting for the train, or standing on line (be discreet, however; do not allow others to see you "talking to yourself" – they may think that you are insane) – thus transforming time that might otherwise be wasted into opportunity.

(The most effective tefillos however, are the ones you will say when you are desperate, such as when your children are really driving you crazy. At those times I recommend to just cover your mouth and scream,"Hashem, please save me!".)

Ever since the first day I began teaching, I have not entered a classroom, whether to teach or to speak to the students, without praying. Countless times I have found myself in the most difficult situations, knowing that it was only the short tefillos that I said before and during an incident that salvaged me, my students and my career.

Develop the habit of praying for your children. It will transform their lives (and yours as well)

With sincere wishes for your success and siyata diShemaya