P is for Prayer: Building a Realistic Prayer Life as a Busy Mother

Prayer often feels like the first thing we want to do as mothers, and the first thing that slips away when the day becomes full. Between caring for children, managing a home, homeschooling, work, and the countless unseen responsibilities of motherhood, prayer can begin to feel rushed, inconsistent, or quietly buried beneath good intentions.

This post is part of my Mother’s Rule of Life series, inspired by A Mother’s Rule of Life by Holly Pierlot. In this second “P” of the series, P is for Prayer, I want to explore what prayer can look like in the real life of a busy mother.

Why Prayer Comes First in a Mother’s Rule of Life

When we think about what it means to be a Christian, we may be tempted to think that living our life only consists of avoiding sin, but there is actually so much more to Christianity.

In the book Holly Pierlot writes,

“So, too, our Christian calling isn’t really only about avoiding sin, but about taking positive steps forward to complete the mission God has entrusted to us…[Father Tom Daly said,] that God wants us to be free from sin, and then to be free to work toward all that God intended us to be. My Mother’s Rule of Life, then, was this second aspect: obedience to God’s will by using my freedom to work toward my vocation, my mission on Earth.”

Pierlot goes on to talk about how her Mother’s Rule had to be both reasonable and practical.

She then had to discern what prayers she could fit into her life and how to fit them in. Pierlot describes in detail which prayers she chose and how she chose to make those work for her. She has prayer times several times throughout the day and found ways to make those work such as sending her children out for a recess.

Letting Go of the “Perfect” Prayer Life

My prayer routine looks different than Holly’s and I’m sure yours will look different than mine. I will say that as a busy mom of seven, quiet prayer times are rare in my home. I often sit down to pray or read Scriptures with children bustling around me.

A quiet atmosphere is just not something that exists for me in this time, and quite frankly, I don’t think I’ll know what to do with myself when that day does come.

What a Realistic Prayer Life Can Look Like as a Busy Mom

Let’s talk about what my prayer life looks like right now. I actually use the Hallow app to set up my prayer routine. I use the free version and have set prayer times three times per day.

Morning Prayer:

• Daily Mass Readings
• Morning Offering
• Father Mike Daily Minute Homily

I also work in some of my Scripture readings and journaling during this time while I drink my morning coffee.

3:00 Prayer:

• Catechism in a Year
• Divine Mercy Chaplet

This is also when I do any spiritual reading if I have time.

Evening Prayer:

• Liturgy of the Hours Night Prayer
• Jesus, I Trust in You Minute Meditation

I do prayer and religious education with my children throughout the day, and I would love to add a family rosary once a week. Since I just started working on my Mother’s Rule, this routine is not perfect, but I’m loving the structure of it.

Anchoring Prayer to Daily Rhythms

If you’re struggling to find time to pray, may I encourage you to look at your daily rhythms and find points where you can add prayer.

You might anchor prayer to:

• Waking up
• Mealtimes
• School transitions
• Household chores
• Bedtime routines

Anchoring prayer to something you know you’re going to do every day will make it easier to actually make happen.

Encouragement for Hard or Dry Seasons

There will be seasons when prayer feels difficult, dry, or almost nonexistent. These seasons are not signs of failure.

Showing up, even imperfectly, matters. A single faithful habit done consistently can sustain a prayer life through the busiest and hardest years of motherhood.

Start with a basic prayer routine, and then you can add in more as you’re able.

We will be exploring the rest of the Five P’s further in this story while I work toward creating my own Mother’s Rule of Life, so I invite you to follow along!