Childviews

Trouble Sleeping

When I was younger, I had trouble sleeping at night. Then I had a rare experience. It was Christmas Eve, and I was having trouble sleeping. I was awake for hours, and I wanted to get to sleep! I began to cry. My mom heard me and came into my room. I told her that I couldn’t sleep. She asked me if it would help if she said a prayer. I told her that I hadn’t thought of that and that yes, it would help. She asked Heavenly Father to help me. When the prayer was over, I felt very relaxed, and I thanked her.

The next morning, my mom told me that she had gone back to my room five minutes after her prayer, and I was already asleep. I learned that because of my faith, I was able to get over my trouble with sleeping.

Maren Sargent, age 11
Fruit Heights, Utah

Best Friend

One day at snack time in preschool, my best friend, Roger,* said that if I ate my peanut-butter sandwich, he wouldn’t be my friend anymore. Roger doesn’t like peanut butter, but I love it. It looked so good—I had to eat it. I went home kind of sad because Roger said he wouldn’t be my friend anymore. Mom said that he would probably forget about it by the next day, and he did.

Another day, when our teacher told us to pick up our toys, Roger wouldn’t do it. He told me that if I did, he wouldn’t be my friend anymore. It was hard for me to choose the right. Our teacher told Mom that she thought that Roger was influencing me in bad ways. They decided that if it kept on happening, I wouldn’t be allowed to be with Roger anymore.

Mom told me that when Roger wants me to do something that I know is wrong, I should tell him that if he keeps making bad choices, I won’t be able to be his friend. Then I was to walk away. She thought this might encourage Roger to choose the right. We had so much fun together—I didn’t want to lose him as a friend.

That night for family home evening, Mom pretended to be Roger, my sister pretended to be another friend, and I was myself. I practiced saying, “If you keep making bad choices, then I can’t be your friend.” That week we said extra prayers that Heavenly Father would help both of us choose the right.

It was very hard to tell Roger that I couldn’t be his friend. And things didn’t turn out the way we hoped they would right away. But after I said it a few times, Roger started to choose the right! Our teacher told Mom that she was surprised at the change in him. I learned that it may not be easy to choose the right, but it’s what Heavenly Father wants us to do. And if we ask Him, He will help us.

Nicholas Colon, age 5
Kokomo, Indiana

Christmas Program

When I was getting ready to go to my school’s Christmas program, I started to look pale and feel sick. I thought I was going to be sick to my stomach. I knelt and asked Heavenly Father to help me feel better for the program. When I got to school, I started to feel better. When I went on stage, I felt perfect! I knew that Heavenly Father had helped me. When I got home, I thanked Him for helping me feel better.

Johnny Richardson, age 9
Ogden, Utah

• Name has been changed.

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