family | Ramblings of a Misguided Blonde

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Religion, Family and Letting Your Kids Find Their Faith – BlogHer

The idea behind this article intrigues me. I love the idea of allowing children to choose their own faith (or lack thereof). One of the biggest issues I’ve had with organized religion throughout my life is the idea that there is only one true religion. This idea is passed down from generation to generation without children really having the opportunity to explore other religions. They simply grow up with the same faith as their parents without really exploring their own beliefs. As a Protestant Christian, with all of its varieties and peculiarities, this never made sense to me.

On the other hand, there is something to be said for religious education during childhood and early adolescence. How else can one truly learn about religion? Throughout that process, how do you help your child be open to learning about other religions and exploring their faith while learning yours? It is a tough question, and one that parents should discuss with their kids. Even if parents don’t explicitly talk about religion with their children often, children will still pick up on their parents’ attitudes toward different religions.

In all of this, I was incredibly lucky as a child. Even though my parents’ weren’t overly religious, my Mom insisted that my siblings and I had what she called a “religious education.” We were baptized and confirmed. We attended Sunday school and church camp. I even spent some time as part of MYF. My Mom had had all of these experiences growing up and wanted the same for her children.

At the same time, we were raised to respect different religions. In fact, as a small child, I attended Mass with my Catholic neighbors almost as often as I attended church with my parents. My neighbor and babysitter taught Catechism for decades, and thanks to my parents’ openness, I even attended her class a time or two. Growing up in a predominately Catholic community, I am grateful that I had those experiences. When you have a better understanding of other religions, conditions such as those that existed in Ireland during the 1970s and 1980s – Catholics versus Protestants, neighbor against neighbor – become incomprehensible. To this day, I cannot imagine judging anyone based on religion alone.

The funny thing is that until fairly recently, I was highly skeptical of organized religion. While I did believe in God, I did not necessarily see the need for organized religion. Discussing all of this with my Mom, she blames herself for passing that skepticism on to me. Personally, I’m glad I questioned my faith and organized religion. Now that I see its intrinsic value, I knew what to look for in a church, and ultimately, I am that much stronger in my beliefs.

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I am not one for New Year’s resolutions. Instead, I rather concentrate on creating good, sustainable habits. Those take time and patience. If I state that I will do this or I will do that, it is simply asking for failure. In 2016, I will simply concentrate on the word home. Even though I’ve lived in the same house since the end of 2012, I have yet to make it my home. It is my grandparents’ home and the house my Dad grew up in. I’ve lived there alone since the beginning of 2013, and yet, it is still very much my grandparents’ house. It is time to make it my own. I started the process last spring, but became so busy that I haven’t done much of anything since.

As a busy college student, I’ve concentrated on my classes above anything else. The last thing I wanted to do was look at all of the projects awaiting me at home. Instead, I packed up my backpack and headed to the university library where I could concentrate on my work, ignoring all that needs to be done at home. Well, this is my last semester as an undergraduate student – minus student teaching. It is time to start concentrating on the next phase of my life. It is time I created a space for myself.

During my years in Bay City, I didn’t do much to create a home for Brian and myself. I always kept thinking that we’d get married and buy a house. As the years went by and that happy scenario seemed less and less likely, I became depressed and no longer cared much. Why waste time and energy on a rental house anyway? When I finally moved in 2012, it felt wonderful to actually go through all of my possessions. I gave away items I no longer needed or used. Bags and bags of clothes that no longer fit were donated. I felt free. This is exactly what I need right now. When I complete my teaching certificate next December, I want to do so with a completely clean slate. I want to be able to fully move on to the next stage of my life.

So, why concentrate on home? Every family needs a home, right? It stands to reason that if I want to create the family I’ve longed for my entire life, we need a place to call our own. But, it involves so much more than just a house. It needs to function for me and the family I want to create. It is the first step in a long process. A family of my own is the first thing I can ever remember wanting out of life. After all of the heartache, many setbacks (just about anything you can imagine), and waiting, there is nothing standing in the way anymore. I am enough. I just figured it out way later than I would have liked. I am just glad that it is not too late.

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