Bernard O'Shea: I can't believe I can't remember the Our Father

It's in times of death and pain that you can see how something like prayer acts like spiritual cement

Bernard O'Shea: What my kids think of prayer is wholly opposed to what it was for me. Picture: Moya Nolan

In a desperate attempt to stay awake a little longer last month, my six-year-old boy said, "Wait, we've got to do our prayers". This was a classic move on his behalf as he's not once even mentioned God, let alone prayers, to me before. But he persisted and began, "Thank you, God, for Mammy and Daddy". The list eventually became exhaustive and an obvious ploy to stave off hitting the hay and turning off the light. Finally, I took charge of the situation when he thanked God for Teen Titans, a show he watches on Netflix.

It reminded me of staying up late at night as a day-sleeping teenager until a  Prayer at Bedtime was broadcast on RTE 1. I used to look at it and think, "Who's watching this?" In hindsight, its viewership was likely populated with loads of awkward teenagers living in two-channel land just like me. I don't know if the Nielsen figures ever backed this up.