It's fish sandwich season.". Talk with her about the morals in the stories. But despite the failures of the Israelites—and their outright rejections—He never abandons them. Inserting your own opinion on the matter is fine, as long as you make it clear that it is your opinion. I’m not gonna lie to her and tell her heaven is real, god is real, auntie believes all that. It's helps that religion is not a big part of where we live. Make dumb rules. It’s like a punch to the gut. Basic questions are usually the easiest to answer. I am an atheist, my family is not. Send us your views and opinions, your personal stories, messages of support, comments on recent news, or any comments you would like to share about your part of the world. Yeah I get that. Forgive the odd sentence structure; this is an attempt to summarize from memory of actual conversations when I was very young. I shared the excitement for the story, and highlighted the separation between facts and fiction. If we don't get them from scripture, we must define them for ourselves. Record your voice here for it to be aired on the Atheist Republic Voicemails Podcast. Love seeks correction for the betterment of the loved. Pre-script edit. I say "we dont have a religion" to which he asks do we believe in god to which i say "God is a metaphor for all things." She understands morals, and the benefit of fiction like Sofia the First. Let them speak. Children are born atheist? My kids think God is real. I have also released an autobiography, “An Awakening: The Day I Realized the Footprints in the Sand Were My Own”, chronicling my struggles and path to atheism. If you like our posts, subscribe to the Atheist Republic newsletter to get exclusive content delivered weekly to your inbox. So it’s probably better to begin with advising you of what not to do right now. Science and history are equally complicated for young minds. Thwn show her what is under the cup. Welcome to r/atheism, the web's largest atheist forum. If you can teach your kids how to think, you won't need to tell them what to think. As a mom, I struggled with this myself. It can actually be one of the best conversations you can have with your children. I did not want my son to be an atheist because I told him to or because I pushed it on him nor did I want him to believe in a religion because someone told him that was the only way to be. Do you know what trees grow from? Do this by showing your child how to interpret each verse. It makes sense to them. Sometimes, the only thing that can bring a person back to God is God, Himself. Give them a hug and reassure them that, while you don’t agree that their worldview is the correct one, you still love and cherish them, and you’d love to talk about their decision. Do you know how the moon really comes up? 2. You’re still responsible for them, for their upbringing, for loving and adoring and caring for them, no matter what their faith is. 2. ", New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Just listen. That’s right—listen to your child. Tell the child that the things under the cup are now different. I’m an atheist. The very best thing you can do is also going to be the hardest. My brother is also an atheist, the rest of my family is either christian, or is keeping their faith-type quiet. .FIYolDqalszTnjjNfThfT{max-width:256px;white-space:normal;text-align:center} ", "Yes, I know it's ridiculous, but they really believe it. Noi e i nostri partner memorizzeremo e/o accederemo ai dati sul tuo dispositivo attraverso l'uso di cookie e tecnologie simili, per mostrare annunci e contenuti personalizzati, per la misurazione di annunci e contenuti, per l'analisi dei segmenti di pubblico e per lo sviluppo dei prodotti. I was very confused, considering my family isn’t even catholic but explained to her I didn’t do that. It's my job to raise my child. ._3Im6OD67aKo33nql4FpSp_{border:1px solid var(--newCommunityTheme-widgetColors-sidebarWidgetBorderColor);border-radius:5px 5px 4px 4px;overflow:visible;word-wrap:break-word;background-color:var(--newCommunityTheme-body);padding:12px}.lnK0-OzG7nLFydTWuXGcY{font-size:10px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.5px;line-height:12px;text-transform:uppercase;padding-bottom:4px;color:var(--newCommunityTheme-navIcon)} I'd answer this by focusing on teaching the kids the value of learning and knowledge, and getting them to learn about both sides of a debate, then thinking through a logical answer to a question. The very best thing you can do is also going to be the hardest. How do you explain to them why it is that some people believe in a god and why some dont (in a positive way without being an atheist-asshole)? My oldest asked me if I thought god was real, I said "No, do you?" Im not sure if im explaining it well enough or not. You just let her grow up and get more mature and wait till she’s old enough to conceptualize evolution and other non-religions beliefs like that. After all, would you believe someone of a different faith if they attempted to convert you through their own holy book? Anger seeks vengeance for perceived wrongs. How do you explain it? Don’t just believe, act. It takes some humility on your part but it sounds like you are up to the task. I advised her that if she is unconvinced by any religion and believes that God does not exist, that she should not hide that belief but not advertise it either. This is something most parents probably struggle with. Everyone who is atheist has either come to the decision later in life or at least on their own, but there are some that were raised in a non-religious household. But, some people have some very strange beliefs, and they will really, really believe them, and they will want you to believe them too. She then asked about heaven, and I tried to explain what my family believes vs what I believe. An article in the Guardian from February of that year has. All topics related to atheism, agnosticism and secular living are welcome here. I told them we aren't religious. I knew other people had other beliefs from different backgrounds and I would ask questions because I was curious. There are so many ways to introduce children to religion and non-belief, but the best way is to do it in a cultural way. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, https://www.amazon.com/Parenting-Without-God-Intelligent-Religious/dp/1634310446/ref=nodl. So I have frequent talks with my daughter about how to be respectful of the stories people use, and listen to what people are trying to explain with their stories. Im not sure if im explaining it well enough or not.