We Bow Our Heads

As any young child has learned, when it is time to pray we fold our arms and bow our heads.  Why do we bow our heads?  There is a component of respect and humility and a component of reverence.  As a parent of three young children I can say there truly is more to it. 

 

We bow our heads to provide safety while we pray.  Any prayer with a child on one's lap is an accident waiting to happen.  A child has a tendency to move a wiggle during a prayer.  If they bow their head it helps them stay still. 

 

But this is the big benefit.  When said child is on your lap and your eyes are closed, you can not see said child wiggle and move.  Said child tries to bow their head, but invariably does not have the discipline necessary to bow their head for an entire prayer.  When said bowed head comes up, it squarely and soundly contacts the mouth of the holding parent.  Such contact often results in fat lip or other discomfort.  When the holding parent bows their head, it prevents such undesirable contact. 

 

The parent bowing their head has several benefits. First they decrease the distance to the child's head, This reduces the velocity at contact from said child abruptly raising their head.  Second the point of contact shifts from the mouth, chin and cheek to the forehead.  Due to the difference in composition and reduced velocity, contact at the forehead is much less eventful, to the point of becoming a non-issue.