Growing up as a Christian, my faith has always been extremely important to me. I pray often, attend church very regularly and try to pass on my religious values to my children. I am lucky to have found a soulmate who shares in my beliefs, and so raising our children in the faith has been easier.
Last week was Ash Wednesday, which marked the beginning of Lent, the period of 40 days before Easter. We take opportunities like this to instill values in our children that we feel are important. Taking them to church, talking about the Bible, and having them attend Sunday school are some of the ways we try to instill these values in them. As parents, we do our best to raise the kids in the way we think will be best for them. Strengthening Christian beliefs in our children and teaching them to be kind is how we feel we can help form them into good people.
Nowadays, many would argue that organized religion and “forcing” your kids to share your values is not the way to raise your kids anymore. I can argue that I am not “forcing” my children to do anything; we are just teaching them about Christianity, and ultimately the choice is theirs.
Every year on Ash Wednesday, we attend church and get ash crosses put on our foreheads. In previous years, the kids have asked many questions about what the ashes mean and what Lent is all about. It’s great to see their curiosity being fueled by their experiences and the glint in their eyes as you answer their numerous questions. My husband has a wealth of knowledge of, well, pretty much everything; but he has a very deep understanding of the Bible, in particular. He’s so smart! Thankfully, he can help answer these questions in a very unbiased but also simple way that the children can understand.
My younger son is currently too young to fathom the breadth of the religion, and he pretty much knows that Christmas is Jesus’ birthday and that he died on the cross. My older son, however, is much more intrigued by the whole idea. We read a children’s bible almost every day and openly pray about things, and it really opens the conversation about Christianity, BUT also about other faiths. We always remember that we live in a very multicultural world with people of diverse faiths and beliefs and we constantly remind them to be open minded and non-judging of others. My husband and I try to be humble (sometimes to a fault) so we hope that our children can mimic our behaviour. I am a sucker for tradition and passing down values. We were both raised that way, with our parents emphasizing Christianity, and have fond memories from it; so, it’s only natural for us to want that for our kids too.
As part of Lent, some people like to give up things, such as fasting, or having less screen time. I believe that we can just be kinder and more focused on our faith with prayer and thought to bring us closer to God during this time. However, as a kid, I used to give up material things, like chocolate; or when I was older, even swearing. I told my son that I did this as a child. (Not the example of swearing, of course!) So, this year for Lent, my older son gave up cookies. Now he doesn’t really eat that many cookies, so it is a bit of a convenient sacrifice, but it is one nonetheless, and a good starting point. Sharing traditions like that of Lenten sacrifice, Ash Wednesday crosses, Good Friday fasts, Christmas pageants and Easter Sunday church celebrations are moments that bring us joy in our family.
As parents with strong Christian beliefs, we can only hope to set a solid base and foundation for our children so that they are able to make good choices. Life is hard. Parents can be there for you, but only to a certain extent. I want my kids to know that they have God with them… always. They assert this by saying “Jesus is in my heart” whenever they are scared or worried. Truthfully, I am an adult, and parenting has many moments when I find solace in knowing that I am being watched over by a higher power, and I hope I can give my children that security. Because, even adults need to know that “Jesus is in their heart”.