All My Children

Your child needs to feel the love and support of you and of God. For most children, parental involvement is the ultimate way to develop spiritually and to feel good about themselves. Talk with your child face-to-face, not with condescension or distance. You should laugh and play with your child when discussing religion as well as other aspects of his or her life. And be there for serious talks too, because that is what parents are for. Teach your child about a God who is versatile too—a Being that is a Parent to all of us.

Be sure that you include “everyday” situations when you discuss how God participates in our lives so that the concept can be meaningful to your child. God is to be found in songs, laughter, play, work, hurts, celebrations, and so on. Most important, no matter what your religion or your child’s may be, God is at work in your child’s life, and he or she should have a sense of that.

Please recall that children, including your youngster, need substantial direction; considerable guidance is necessary for them to follow a healthy path. Be prepared to offer structured parenting when it is called for. Consider your own life experiences and be ready to show your child possible ways to greater fulfillment. And help your child embrace a God who offers direction and delivers a person from confusion and uncertainty. This will strengthen your child’s faith.

Notice that many children need a parent or God to act as a sounding board, even if that means feeling like a target every once in a while. Perhaps your youngster needs you in this way. Full of troublesome or just lively feelings, your child may need to unwind or release his or her emotions in order to see the world clearly. You may need to be there to listen and to absorb the weight of your child’s experiences. You can be the dependable confidant who is privy to the ups and downs of childhood, as seen through the eyes of your son or daughter. Introduce your child to a God who is a good listener too. You might even teach your child to pray by suggesting a favorite prayer or by asking your child to select his or her own.

Consider that a few children do not seem to need their parents that much. Independent souls, these children are surprisingly well- adjusted without discernible parent involvement. Is your child like that? Perhaps, then, all that is required is that you respect your child’s interests, assertiveness, and spirit. If your child is a natural explorer of spirituality and the world at large, you can check in to see how things are going. Let your child know about a God who allows people their freedom and yet continues to care for them, and tell him that you can see the God in him. That is pertinent advice for all parents.

The key to spiritual parenting is being sensitive to the nuances of your child’s personality and individual curiosities and needs. Perfect sensitivity may be impossible, for that is a quality particular to God alone. But you are very capable of being an outstanding parent—and that will be more than sufficient for the development of your child’s spirit and zest for life.

I hope that as you finish this and begin conversations with your son or daughter, it will be with a reasonable idea of how to discuss the notion of God. Fortunately, you can always look for God in two different manifestations, both of whom have God within them. These expressions of God are you and your child.

Your child and God—it is a natural combination of person and spirituality. Children embody a beautiful sense of innocence and goodness. Because of their youth and vitality, and their wide open eyes, they remind adults of faith and optimism.

As you have undoubtedly noted about your youngster, children have a special spirit about them, and just when a parent or teacher least expects it, they will volunteer to share this spirit with you. More often than not, they’ll tell you just how they see the world. They’ll even spontaneously comment about God with refreshing honesty.

“About those diseases, Mr. God …” more than one brave youngster has said. “Thanks for all the beautiful rivers and toads and frogs,” some other children comment. “I wish I could see You so that I could draw You better,” another child poignantly offers. For children, no one is too far away for conversation, and that includes God.

It is your child’s wonderful spirit that you should keep in mind as you think about God. Watch how that spirit endures as your child grows. That spirit is a reminder to you of your own spirit and of the God in you. It is your challenge as a parent and as a person—to locate that spirit and cultivate its growth.

Just as your child already is developing an inner sense of God, so is there a divine spirit in you. Your parental journey is very much concerned with that spirit and this is an attempt to kindle it. Your inner spirit inspires you to love and cherish your child and to give of yourself freely. It will lead you to encourage your youngster to be the best he or she can be. You can trust in that inner spirit.

Parenting is both an unparalleled responsibility and a boundless joy—and it is clearly a spiritual journey not to be missed, Accepting parenthood means accepting life, and you are currently engaged in passing on God—the Giver of life—to your child.

Whatever your concept of God, huge or small, black or white, male or female, it is you who will largely determine not only the kind of person your child will be, but also the kind of God your child will embrace. When all the possible relationships in the world are considered, there is no greater opportunity than this—introducing your child to God—for any parent to make a lasting and significant contribution to the world.

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