Religion?

Hot2Cold87

Personally I believe in God and I want my son to learn about him and I'm just wondering how did you teach your child about God or how do you plan on teaching them? I want my family to grow in the word and I feel everything in this world is starting to be against of what God wanted for us and I want to instill as much as I can into him so that he is not of the world but in the world lol I think that's how the saying goes and I want to make it fun and exciting!?

smcox

My son is only 4 1/2 months but we bought childrens books and baby's first Bible and read them to him at night. When he's old enough to comprehend and talk we will teach him about praying. As he gets older I'll probably do arts and crafts with him and whatever other children I may be blessed with, that help teach him the stories in the Bible. Plus whenever we are in service he goes to the nursery/ Sunday school and will be learning there too. I know there's more to it than that but that's a starting point. Our church has a seminar a couple times a year about raising children with Christ. We were signed up for it and then hubby was sent out of town for work and he had our only working car at the time =( hopefully we can go next time!

My2Boys

We go to church and say prayers before dinner every night and at bed time. My three year old now knows how to bless himself and can say grace with us at the dinner table everynight. I just tell him what I think he is ready for he doesn't really understand it though.

jnlelrod

We go to church, say prayers after every meal, talk about Jesus all the time, every single night my hubby reads our boys a story out of their bible story book...my hubby is awesome....such a great dad! oh and lots of prayers with them!! We know it's our purpose to teach them about God

mommyof3girls

We dont go to church, we should. Just havent found one we really like. Our children all know Jesus tho. thats whats its all about anyway... Jesus not church. Our oldest didnt truly understand untill she was 5. We try to incorporate Jesus in everything. We thank him for each day, our health, everything. Its fun because our oldest was sick last week and i told her we need to pray to Jesus for healing and she said she already did. Love it. Childrens bibles r great. Bible stories r fun for them. We just got the book Heaven is for real for children. Its a great book. Your children will know God if u live ur life for God.

JoshnEviesmum

my son got a childrens bible for a baptism gift, and we read it every evening. he loves jonah and the whale the best. also i got him some rosary beads from church and he loves saying his prayers and using the beads. i think if you go to church it helps, but its not strictly necessary, as the pp said, just try to incorporate it into everyday life. my problem now is that joshua is learning about evolution at school which is posing some difficult questions. with Eve i plan to do the same and try and make religion fun for her, i always loved the bible stories and i want my children to have that same experience.

Hot2Cold87

@smcox @My2boys @jnlelrod @mommyof3girls @JoshnEviesmum
Thanks u ladies are awesome!!! It really makes me feel great knowing your little ones pray on their own so small and I will get some Bible books I'm excited my baby is only 6 months so I know it will be awhile b4 he understands but I feel like God has definitely blessed me with him and having him makes me want to better myself also! And the craft idea I love!

captivated

We go to church occasionally. I'll mention God every once in a while, but I want religion to be something my kids decide for themselves.

jennalynne87

I am like @captivated. I was kind of forced into religion and now i am just a lost confused person.because i never found anything out for myself. I do not want that for my daughter

captivated

@jennalynne87, that is exactly how I feel. I got sent to live with family that wasn't just religious, but were almost to the point of cult-like involvement. It really turned me off, especially because of the sexual abuse I experienced during that time. And then my aunt said that "God told her I was lying" and had me admitted to a psych ward and then foster care for months...so you can see my...distaste...lol!

I don't bash anyone that raises their children religiously. I just don't feel that route is the correct one for me. I can't teach my children something that I do not believe 100%.

Hot2Cold87

@captivated not being rude but that's why I asked people who planned on teaching BC it is not a question of if I am going to teach him about God its about how and when. I would like my child to know about God! Of course he is going to make his own decisions but I would like to give him a sturdy foundation not just randomly hearing things and being lost! If I genuinely believe in God and I believe in heaven and hell why wouldn't I teach my child? And I know I have to be an example and I have along way to go! I'm far from perfect!! I'm human! And he will make mistakes he's human. I'm not going to put him in a closet and make him pray for 5 hours lol I just want to make it fun and exciting! Haha sorry I was rambling long day! :-<

DavidnAadynsMama

I myself am agnostic. I believe in a higher power but dont know what that entails. I allow my son to go to sunday school with his cousins because he wants to go, but personally, I dont go to church. I want my sons to grow up believing there is something greater than ourselves, but I wont force any one religion on them. That, to me, is a very personal choice that cant be made for someone

captivated

@hot2cold87, I'm sorry if I offended you! You had asked how you were planning on teaching God so I just interpreted it as those of us who weren't completely sure on the matter could answer as well. I'm just on the fence because of my own beliefs. I don't think it is bad to teach your children about God at all because eventually they will have their own beliefs whether it be what you taught them or something else. A stable foundation in your morals and beliefs is a great thing!

@davidnaadynsmama, that's how I feel It's just a personal decision. I don't believe there is a right or wrong in regards to what religion you decide to teach your kids, if any.

Hot2Cold87

@captivated LOL I'm not offended I just don't like periods so through script maybe it appears like I'm fired up BC of the excessive usage of exclamation points LOL period buut I'm also very clear of what I want, by all means comment if it applies to the op or else it turns into this big debate and where am I getting help?

smcox

Personally I was raised in a house that was a you can choose to believe whatever you want. My grandmother however pushed Christianity on me and my brother. Was very in your face about it. Obviously a big turn off. I started going to church in high school with a friend and had a completely different experience and loved it. As Christian parents we are called to teach and educate our children about God. So I will do everything in my power to make sure I give my children the tools to learn and grow in Christ. I will not be pushy or demanding though, that's a sure fire way to get them to rebel. I am going to always encourage them to be involved in church and keep their relationship with Christ strong. Also, I will never make the decision for my children on them getting baptised. I think that is an extremely personal decision to make. You are declaring your faith to others, so I don't know how I could do that for him. At the church I went to throughout high school and my 20's, you didn't have the option to get baptised till the 8th grade. You go through class and get taught about the meaning behind it and make the decision for yourself if you're ready or not. I got baptised almost 2 years ago. My parents baptised me when I was a baby so in high school when I wanted to do it for myself they wouldn't let me. I regret that I waited till I was 24.... But I had walked away from God for a while and then didn't feel secure enough in my walk with God.
Currently I am struggling with being complacent in my walk and need to strengthen it. Definitely need to be a better example for my son and any future children. @captivated I am truly sorry that your experience with believers wasn't a good one! What your aunt said is obviously wrong! I have had plenty of experiences with this type of Christian (currently dealing with my fil who uses the Bible to beat people down and uses it to manipulate people and situations) but trust me, most Christians are not like that. You just don't hear about the level headed Christians often cuz they don't make fun stories lol I know you have been through hell and back recently with the horrible custody battle, your daughter being molested by her dad, your recent loss and your sickness. I pray and think about you often. Just remember that God doesn't just let us or make us go through horrible situations. The devil is the one doing it and God allows it to happen so that we may learn to trust and lean on Him. If we never went through crappy and tough situations, most would never know or understand or appreciate what He has given us. I know that is not going to make you be happy or OK with everything that has happened in the past but maybe understand it better and keep it in the back of your mind.
If you ever want to talk or have any questions feel free to inbox me! I truly am sorry and regretful for your experience with believers in the past! Even as a believer I have had the same experience and it caused me to turn away and blamed those people for me walking away from Christ for a while. Every one is human and we all make mistakes. Sorry for the really long ramble! LOL and sorry if it is all over the place. It's almost 130 in the morning and I'm tired :P

MyLove2

@Hot2Cold87 Well I think when he turns 11 or 12 years old then I would introduce religon. But until then just raise him up according to the way you believe and then when he gets old enough there can be a dicussion on that. ;;)

smcox

LOL @aishamusa that doesn't really make sense. What she believes is raising her child knowing and believing in Christ.... She was just asking how to go about teaching her baby.

MyLove2

@captivated I agree with you on that.

MyLove2

@smcox Well to answer that teach the kid the same way she learned about her religon. How else? Which may sound difficult but that seems to me the only way until the kid becomes old enough to base a conversation about it with his parents.

smcox

Well, I personally wasn't raised in the church and didn't learn until high school. So I probably would go about teaching a young child differently than teaching a teenager. She may not have been raised in a Christian home either and may not have experience in teaching a child so young.... Or most likely doesn't remember how she was taught when she was an infant. Personally I don't remember anything before the age if 5 LOL if I hadn't worked in Sunday school or been a counsellor for junior highers, I probably wouldn't know where to start either. And there's many different ways to go about introducing religion, just got to find what works for you and your lo.

MyLove2

@smcox that's what I ment by teach the child the way you were taught meaning from all the stuff she can remember and all the stuff she has learned about it. Of course with a teenager it's different which is why I said once the kid becomes 11 or 12 that's when her and her son can sit down and have a discussion about it.

Hot2Cold87

@smcox thank you

LOL I don't remember when I was small or when I began to get it I remember having a mentor and getting more and mord info and growing interest but the reason why I wanted to start young was because I have a little cousin who wasn't taught and didn't know who God was and would say stuff like God is stupid! I remember being horrified b/c of my knowledge and what I believe and it wasn't because he had a bad experience it was because he didn't know and I never thought to teach him what I knew! I want my baby to know God is love! Proverbs 22:6 train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it! This rang true for me b/c I hold true to my morals and what my mother has taught me even when I choose to be defiant I think I need to do better because I was taught better than this. No one is perfect but I believe I had a good foundation so when I fall I'm never starting from the ground! And I want it to be fun for my child like at 6 months he loves storytime I totally forgot they have Bible story books for kids someone mentioned above that's something I can do with him now (even though he is nowhere close to understanding) and once he is older he can still have it. Or crafts when he's older I'm not crafty lol but I love the idea. I would like to help him open up his heart to God not scare him away.

jnlelrod

@hot2cold87 I agree 100%!! You and I are on the same page!! I love meeting other women of God! We read to our kids every night from the story bible, even my 4 month old. That is our job as christian parents to instill Christ in them! If whatever else I do wrong with them....I wanna get that right!

Hot2Cold87

@jnlelrod yes I'm a ftm so I worry about these things I don't want him to be like ugh Bible study I want him to be like YAY BIBLE STUDY! Lol

jnlelrod

@hot2cold87 Exactly! Make it fun and live it out

MyLove2

@Hot2Cold87 Well you can't guarentee if he will stick with it or not, but it is very important to teach them the religon and everything you know about it. Just do the best you can with it and just pray that he'll continue with the way you taught him.

Hot2Cold87

@AishaMusa I will always pray for him...

MyLove2

Of course!

momtobe2

100% with u. @Hot2Cold87. I do what i can. u can search on youtube christian songs for kids. my 5 year old loves them and 6 month too.

Hot2Cold87

@momtobe2 thanks

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