One of my most revered role-models is my mother-in-law Joan. Joan exemplifies the power of faith, grace, strength and courage. As the mother of ten very successful adult children, I fully trust her guidance. During one of our many uplifting talks, she revealed that she was a recovering alcoholic. To align with God and to bring peace to every moment of her life, she shared a powerful prayer she learned in Alcoholics Anonymous that she says several times a day.

"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change

The courage to change those that I can

And the wisdom to know the difference."

You don't have to be an alcoholic to benefit from the power of this prayer. These three simple lines have such profound ramifications as we parent our children.

"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change." We must accept that our children have challenges that they will need to overcome. We must accept, as parents that we have to sacrifice or delay some of our desires to be fully present with our children. We must accept that our children make mistakes and so do we. God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, literally means surrendering those events that are beyond our control over to our higher power.

"God grant me the courage to change the things I can." What things can we, as parents, do to strengthen and empower our children? We can become strong ourselves by seeking the support of God, other parents, and mentors. We can teach our children to learn and grow from their mistakes. We can encourage our children find their unique gifts and celebrate them. We can help our children know the miraculous being they are and not allow them to determine their self-worth by what society or the media portrays. These simple acts can be a catalyst for great change.

Perhaps the most profound part of this prayer is, "God grant me the wisdom to know the difference." Wisdom comes from connecting with the highest, most divine thoughts we hold regarding a situation. By spending time in silence every day, quieting down our minds and our environments, we can hear the voice of the divine. Meditation, deep breathing, being outdoors in nature and prayer are all avenues to connect to God's wisdom. Attuning ourselves to the guidance of our higher power allows a shift in perspective to unfold. Once we have connected with God, events can then be viewed as opportunities for growth rather than moments of suffering.

As parents, when anxiety, doubt, and worry consume us, we can use The Serenity Prayer as a tool to ground us in the reality of the situation. This grounding will not only assist in creating internal harmony, but it can also help to quiet down the collective consciousness of our family. As our world and the lives of our children become more complex it is more important than ever to find strategies that can bring us healing, peace and comfort to ourselves and our families. The Serenity Prayer is an invaluable tool to help us and our children live a life of extraordinary meaning, strength, and peace.

May you and your children be showered in blessings of joy, love, peace, and health.

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Debbie Milam is the co-creator of "Empowering Our Children: Creating Connected Families, Classrooms, and Communities " . She is an occupational therapist and life coach whose work has been featured in over 300 media outlets including The Miami Herald, Elle, Ladies Home Journal, PBS and The Hallmark Channel. Visit her website for more books and resources to help you be a highly effective parent. Visit her online at www.bestyoucanbe.org and sign up for her newsletter to receive your special report, "Creating Peace Within Yourself and Your Family." © Copyright 2008 Debbie Milam.

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