Monday, January 9, 2012

Preparing Our Kids for the Hard Stuff

I believe the best spiritual inoculation method for children simply is creating an open environment where they feel comfortable asking anything - and teaching them what you consider to be correct principles - and being willing to entertain unique perspectives from them.

When your children ask a question, do you give them an answer - or do you ask them what they think? When they tell you what they think, do you "correct" them or merely validate their still immature understanding - or do you try to build on their understanding and help them see multiple perspectives? Do you encourage them to think for themselves - or merely to memorize your or others' answers?

When you read the scriptures with them, do you just read as much as you can cover - or do you discuss every verse and/or passage to make sure they have a chance to understand what it says (and, in some cases, differing opinions on what it says)?

I could go on, but the key is pretty simple. I just wish, sometimes, it was easy.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

"When your children ask a question, do you give them an answer - or do you ask them what they think? When they tell you what they think, do you "correct" them or merely validate their still immature understanding - or do you try to build on their understanding and help them see multiple perspectives? Do you encourage them to think for themselves - or merely to memorize your or others' answers? "

To me this is not about raising a child but about respectful communication with anyone. the problem is that when I do this I get panic reaction because I try to broaden the question or the answer.
This is why I often feel alone and I end up spending all my time on the internet (This sentence is said with a very melodramatic tone of voice ;)