Phone calls to God

The other day, Lizzy (age three) couldn't find her blanket. It's her absolute favorite item on the earth--she can't sleep without it and wants to know where it is at all times. I'm actually surprised that she misplaced it. But it was lost, and she was upset.

Thinking that this would be a great moment to teach her about prayer, I said, "Lizzy, Heavenly Father knows where your blankie is, and He can help you find your blankie."

This is where the conversation degenerated.

"Heavenly Father took my blankie?"

"No, sweetie, Heavenly Father didn't take your blankie. But he knows everything, so he can help you find it."

"Okay," she said. "I need to call him on the phone."

"Well," I said patiently, "You can't talk to Heavenly Father on the phone."

"So . . . " I could see the wheels turning in her head. "He's a pretend father?"

"No," I couldn't help but laugh. "He's a real father, but he's up in heaven so you can't see him."

"So I need to call him on the phone."

"Well, that's why we need to say a prayer. That's how we talk to Heavenly Father, just like on the phone. When you close your eyes and fold your arms, that's the same thing as talking on the phone to him. That's how you call him."

"Okay," she said, and we said a quick prayer together.

Ten minutes passed, and we still couldn't find the blanket. As I was searching the family room, I caught a glimpse of Lizzy. She had her play cell phone in hand and was talking to Heavenly Father about her lost blanket.

I found the blanket a few minutes later.

Even when you think your kids have the prayer thing down, you never know. Like the time when Maia said the following prayer: "Heavenly Father, Thank you for this day. Please bless that I can help save people . . . because I'm a spy."