How one book is helping Catholic parents raise saints through the sleepless nights

Denver, Colo., Jan 14, 2023 / 10:00 am (CNA).

While many new parents might expect that the birth of a child will lead to a loss of sleep and that their savings could take a hit, they might not realize how having a baby can affect their spiritual lives as well.

“The Prayer Book for Tired Parents: Practical Ways to Grow in Love of God and Get Your Family to Heaven” may be exactly what mom and dad need to help get them through those sleepless nights and help them find Godly purpose in each new chapter of parenthood. The book not only includes pages of prayers for parents to turn to but it also serves as a how-to manual, a workbook, and has a family prayer journal.

Debbie and David Cowden, authors of “The Prayer Book for Tired Parents,” told EWTN News Nightly in an interview on Jan. 6 that the book is “really focusing on growing together as a family, loving God more, and raising our kids to be great saints.”

Parents of three, the Cowdens admit to being tired and realized that other parents they know shared the same feeling. Debbie explained how it can be hard for parents to know which way to go and how to grow in holiness amid the stress and fatigue of parenthood, so this book “is the fruit of our quest to grow our family in holiness.”

The book also draws on the lives of saints who can intercede for parents.

“All of the prayers that we have in the book are related to a specific saint with a reflection on how their life relates to parenting,” Debbie said.

“We have a beautiful reflection on St. Thomas Aquinas and a prayer for chastity for your family. We have Venerable Fulton Sheen and a prayer in thanksgiving for coffee. We also have a prayer to St. Jose Sanchez del Rio and St. Kizito for courage for your children,” she continued. “So, really, you see all of these prayers can be applicable to any point in your life.”

The Cowdens emphasized the importance of parents being patient and merciful with themselves when they’re struggling to see holiness in their daily lives.

“Certainly God does not expect us to be perfect the first time around,” Debbie said. “And that’s why he gives us the beautiful graces of the sacraments, especially confession and strengthening our souls through holy Communion.”

She added: “When you admit that you are a tired parent, you’re also recognizing that you can’t do this all on your own and that it’s only by the grace of God that we can be holy and that our children can grow in holiness, too. So, if you’re in a place of overwhelm or anxiety or just complete burnout, know that’s where God can use you.”

“Being a parent is humbling,” David said. “It’s a continual striving to learn to love God more, love God through our family as well, and learning to love our neighbor. So, our children need to be able to see that.”

“As we learn to receive those sacraments and then receive those graces and pour them out onto our children — it’s a learning process, but it’s a good one,” he explained.

“The Prayer Book for Tired Parents” can be found in the EWTN Religious Catalogue.