When I was a child...

When I was a child I prayed quite a lot. Not having a particularly religious family, I prayed to any One who was willing to listen. Being an equal-opportunity prayer, I prayed for protection from gods I did not intimately know, but I truly believed in the power of my prayers. Now that I am a grown adult, with a grown & successful sister, I know that my prayers were heard. I would like to thank the following for whatever part they played in protecting my sister and myself, and helping us to survive childhood. My thanks is absolutely sincere, and should be respected as such, regardless of your own beliefs. Note: All quoted material is in bold to differentiate my words from others. Let's begin. Quoted from this site. Saint Nicholas is said to be just about everyone's saint; he is surely named the patron saint of more causes than any other saint... In the West Nicholas {he} is most widely known as the patron saint of children. Many of his stories tell of children rescued from calamity and returned to the care and keeping of their families. In France the most familiar story, both told and sung, is of three little children lured into the clutches of an evil butcher and rescued by St. Nicholas. Other stories, as well, tell of children who disappeared, were kidnaped, fell into a well, or suffered some other disaster-all to be delivered through the good offices of St. Nicholas. These accounts of a child forcibly taken from parents, followed by a time of grieving and despair, then the miraculous return of the child, have profound and universal appeal which makes Nicholas the much valued Guardian of Children. It is no wonder he is the beloved Patron saint of children.
The following information comes from this site and due to copyright laws, pictures can only be seen on the site. Still, I say thanks.
Next is Jibo Kannon, who radiates with love and sympathy toward all children and child-rearing mothers. As seen here, Jibo Kannon stands near a baby, symbolizing her protection and care of children. The tenderness of this Buddha is known to nurse healthy children, and also to soothe the devastating feelings of mothers who have lost their loved ones. I also send thanks to Sendan Kendatsuba. The warlike Sendan Kendatsuba uses his trident to skewer demons who attack children; origin from Indian mythology; a class of semi-divine beings who feed on the fragrance of herbs. They are also considered guardians of children. One of their kings, Sendan Kendatsuba, figures prominently in the Doujikyou Mandara. This deity is most prevalent among believers in Esoteric Buddhism.
To you Jizo Bosatsu, I give thanks.
Jizo is the guardian of souls in hell and a popular protector of children, for Jizo works to ease the suffering and shorten the sentence of children serving time in Sai no Kawara, the river of souls in purgatory. Children in this realm pray for Buddha's compassion by building small stone towers, piling stone upon stone. But an underworld demon soon arrives and scatters their stones and beats them with an iron club. No need to worry, though, for Jizo comes to the rescue. In one version of the story, Jizo hides the children in the sleeves of his robe. Two other forms of Jizo associated with children are Mizuko Jizo (protector of aborted children) and Koyasu Jizo (child-giving Jizo).
Thank you too, Benzaiten.
The Buddhist goddess of music, poetry, learning, and art, also the goddess of the sea and protector of children. Benzaiten is sometimes associated with the Shinto deity Suijin/Suiten, the latter a goddess who protects fishermen and children. Both are closely associated with water (the ocean, rivers, lakes, and ponds). In Japan, Benzaiten is also closely associated with the dragon and snake. Enoshima island in Japan is of major importance to Benzaiten followers -- according to myth, she married a child-eating dragon who lived near here and was thus able, through her good influence, to put an end to the slaughter of little children.

The following deities that offer protection for children are from this page, and once again, I offer my thanks.
BES - A small, large eyed god who looked a little ugly, but was really a jovial character - although rather coarse sometimes. He enhanced female beauty, supported marriages, protected children and helped people to sleep well. His face was sometimes engraved on a double bed.

NEKHEBET Vulture - The great vulture-goddess who protected the Pharaoh especially in his infancy. A guardian and carer for babies and all young people.

TAUERET Hippo - A bountiful goddess of fertility, she was depicted as a chubby hippopotamus, full of goodwill and plenty. Fertility Help and protect children