This prayer, composed by St. Ambrose of Optina, distributed to believers in the Kazan Ambrosievskaya women's hermitage near the village. Shamordino
God! Creator of all creatures, adding mercy to mercy, You have made me worthy to be the mother of a family; Your grace has given me children, and I dare to say: they are Your children! Because You gave them existence, revived them with an immortal soul, revived them through baptism for a life in accordance with Your will, adopted them and accepted them into the bosom of Your Church, Lord!
Keep them in a state of grace until the end of their lives; grant them to be partakers of the sacraments of Your Covenant; sanctify by Thy truth; may Thy holy name be sanctified in them and through them!
Grant me Your gracious help in raising them for the glory of Your name and the benefit of your neighbor! Give me methods, patience and strength for this purpose!
Teach me to plant in their hearts the root of true wisdom - Thy fear! Illuminate them with the light of Your wisdom that rules the universe!
May they love You with all their souls and thoughts; may they cleave to You with all their hearts and throughout their entire life may they tremble at Your words!
Grant me the understanding to convince them that true life consists in keeping Your commandments; that work, strengthened by piety, brings serene contentment in this life, and in eternity - inexpressible bliss. Open to them the understanding of Your Law!
May they contribute to the feeling of Your omnipresence until the end of their days; plant in their hearts fear and disgust from all iniquity: that they may be blameless in their ways; May they always remember that You, All-Good God, are a champion of Your law and righteousness!
Keep them in chastity and reverence for Your name! Let them not discredit Your Church by their behavior, but let them live according to its instructions.
Inspire them with a desire for useful teaching and make them capable of every good deed!
May they acquire a true understanding of those objects whose information is necessary in their condition; may they be enlightened with knowledge beneficial to humanity.
God! Manage me to impress with indelible marks on the minds and hearts of my children the fear of partnerships with those who do not know Thy fear, to instill in them every possible distance from any alliance with the lawless; let them not listen to rotten conversations; Let them not listen to frivolous people; May they not be led astray from Your path by bad examples; Let them not be tempted by the fact that sometimes the path of the wicked is successful in this world.
Heavenly Father! Grant me the grace to take every possible care to tempt my children with my actions, but, constantly bearing in mind their behavior, to distract them from error, correct their mistakes, curb their stubbornness and obstinacy, refrain from striving for vanity and frivolity; Let them not be carried away by crazy thoughts; Let them not follow their own hearts; Let them not forget You and Your Law.
May iniquity not destroy their mind and health, may sins not weaken their mental and physical strength.
Righteous Judge, who punishes children for the sins of their parents to the third and fourth generation, turn away such punishment from my children, do not punish them for my sins, but sprinkle them with the dew of Your grace; let them advance in virtue and holiness; May they increase in Your favor and in the love of pious people. Father of generosity and all mercy!
According to my parental feeling, I would wish for my children every abundance of earthly blessings, I would wish them blessings from the dew of heaven and from the fatness of the earth, but may Thy holy will be with them!
Arrange their fate according to Your good pleasure, do not deprive them of their daily bread in life, send down to them everything they need in time to acquire a blissful eternity; be merciful to them when they sin before You; do not impute to them the sins of their youth and their ignorance; bring their hearts into contrition when they resist the guidance of Your goodness; Punish them and have mercy, directing them to a path pleasing to You, but do not reject them from Your presence!
Accept their prayers with favor; grant them success in every good deed; do not turn Your face away from them in the days of their tribulation, lest temptations befall them beyond their strength. Overshadow them with Your mercy; May Your Angel walk with them and protect them from every misfortune and evil path. All-merciful God!
Make me a mother who rejoices over her children, so that they will be my joy in the days of my life and my support in my old age. Honor me, with trust in Your mercy, to appear with them at Your Last Judgment and with unworthy boldness to say: Here I am and my children whom You gave me, Lord!
Yes, together with them, glorifying Your ineffable goodness and eternal love, I extol Your most holy name, Father, Son and Holy Soul, forever and ever. Amen.