Children can find going to hospital a daunting experience. When I was eight years old, I had my tonsils removed – and, although it was a long time ago, I have very clear memories of those few days in the children’s ward. Parents could only visit their children for limited periods then and I felt very alone. Happily, the medical profession has now found that children adapt better to being in hospital if their parents can stay with them for as much time as possible – and they sometimes offer overnight stays for them.I clearly remember my mother sitting beside my hospital bed before the operation, praying with me. She and I always prayed before I went to sleep, so it seemed quite normal for her to pray with me there. After all, I was in a bed and that was where we said our