{Head Up: this is a long post. It jumps around but all has a point. If you want to just read the Mady parts, scroll down to the purple sentences.}
Let me start off by saying, I grew up in church. Going on Sunday mornings, Sunday nights, Wednesday nights, all children's and youth activities, Bible studies, G.A Camps, Passport, Family campouts, Family functions, fall festivals, missions around town, week long mission trips, and anything else in-between. Pretty much, my life was busy with all church things. With this being said, the older I got.. the more I started to resent it. Not God or my beliefs (although my beliefs have “matured” over the years) but when I turned 17, I pretty much stopped going to church. From 18 until about 21ish, I never attended another church. I did go a few times with my mom on Christmas Eve (mainly because the Eve service was so pretty) but I did not indulge myself in learning or studying or even praying very often. I was getting into things, doing my own things, trying to find my place in my life.. although I have never stopped trusting in God, I have questioned things, and the strength of my religion did head downhill for a little bit. (just being honest)
(-why I stopped going to church- mainly the people. I am NOT putting down people that are Baptist.. my family has always been Baptist.. and I am sure you see this with any religion out there.. but.. as I got older, I saw what was really going on. How judgmental they were. The gossip was crazy. Oh, don’t forget.. how they were “Christian” on Sunday’s but come Monday I would see them in public doing the complete opposite of what they were “teaching” or “saying” in Church. I started to pick up on the rudeness and how FAKE people were. Honestly, church is the first place I really realized what “fake” people were. Sad, I know.. With this said, there were a few wonderful people at my old church. I can not name names but I am putting this in here so that the few people that made an impact on my life and stayed close to me and my family regardless of if we were there or not get the credit they deserve. )
Then I became a mom..
I knew I wanted Mady to know God. To trust God. To believe in God. I also knew I wanted her to have God in her heart while being open to other’s beliefs as she got older. She does go to church with the in-laws (thank yall for picking her up every Sunday to take her.. she enjoys it so much) I have spoken about how God loves her from day 1. She has grown up knowing about God’s love, what Easter and Christmas are really about, and praying. Praying before dinner, before bed (most nights), and praying for things like, no bad dreams, or thanking for the day, helping someone feel better.
Then she turned 5, and I started her in a Christian based school. I knew going into it, sending her there, that the school is more structured than other Christian/Private schools. Meaning, I knew they were going to teach their beliefs very openly. This was one reason I chose this school and another reason I was and still am nervous about the school.
It has only been 2 full weeks since she has started PreK-4 .. and oh the questions I have been asked.. the hard part.. how do you put what you know and believe into words that a 5 year old can understand. Again, I want her to be open to other beliefs but at the age of 5, teaching her my beliefs is what matter. I just don’t want push them on her to where she grows up and resents not being taught other things. At the age of 5 I don’t think she should be taught anything else though.
Questions:
What does Baptized mean?
What is a Christian?
When did God create me? Before or after I was a tiny cell in your belly?
How did God create everything out of nothing?
What happens when you make the Devil mad?
Some people want to go to Hell and some people don’t.
The list actually goes on but this gives you an idea of what is going on in my 5 year old’s head. I know I am answering these questions pretty good because the end results of the conversations have been:
Maybe when I am older I can be Baptized. Maybe they can sprinkle water on my head though because I cant go underwater yet. ( oh the way a 5 year olds thoughts work)
I want to be a Christian right now
Making the Devil mad is a good thing
I want to go where God is when I die.
No body loves God more than I do.
Also, these moments make me very thankful for Zak and the rest of my family. Zak has the answers.. he reminds me of his Dad and Mom sooo much when it comes to how smart he really is. You can tell he grew up listening to his parents and what they say about everything and anything. He doesn’t read, he doesn’t watch tv, he just listens to music. So how he knows everything, religious or not.. beats me.. I just give his family the credit.
Now, why I am thankful she is in her school and will more than likely continue in private schools over public schools.
Last night she started telling us that instead of going to Chapel on Friday (today) they were going to watch a movie. She was not sure what the movie was but the teacher gave her a clue.
“they didn’t have kids” that was the clue. Mady looks at Zak and I and says, I think I know what movie it is. The story about God promises a baby to… to.. I forgot their names. They have to leave where they are and they take his Dad and some family with them and they have to sleep on the ground. They ride on Donkey’s and it isn’t Mary and Joseph. A name starts with an “I” I think. Zak guessed Abraham and Sarah. She wasn’t sure so we each grabbed a children's bible from her bookcase and started searching. It was Isaac that she was thinking about and it was Abraham and Sarah. Then I asked her what does her teacher read from, a bible or story books. She tries to explain what her teacher uses because it is neither a bible or book.. it is a thing with pictures and has stories on the back and she changes the pictures. (I still have no idea what she is talking about) then she starts naming off stories..
Mady: you know, Noah’s Ark, the burning bush, Adam and Eve..
Me: wait, you know about the burning bush.. what was that?
Mady: God was talking to him with the burning bush
Zak: do you know WHO he was talking to
Mady: I can’t remember
Zak: Moses
Mady: yea yea! Moses! and she turns the pictures and they have different stories
YAY!! She is learning more than she leads on!! Also, I was reading this post on Facebook from a mom who has preemie baby in the hospital. Her older daughter (I think 7) took 3 things in for show and tell that could fit into a plastic bag. She took her preemie sisters very small diaper, a picture of her sister and then a picture of her being baptized at church. She ends up telling the mom that a lot of kids didn’t know what it was to be baptized and how hard it was her on (the mom) to hear this. She then goes on to say how she was talking with the teacher and the teacher told her that if a child ask about the picture that was brought, she can not answer questions. The kids can answer questions but the teacher can get fired for “teaching” things about religion such as what it means to be baptized.
That right there makes me glad she is in the school she is in. This is why I want her to stay in private school. It is crazy to me when I think that a teacher can get in trouble for this. Mady’s class prays before they eat snack, during the day, and whenever else they want. Her preschool before this was a private church preschool as well and they too prayed or answered questions the kids had. This is how it should be in public school.
When you think about it. They are saying that you can’t teach bible or pray in class. WHY? because that is teaching other kids that don’t believe in the bible or praying, things they shouldn’t be taught? Well, isn’t that the same as teaching the kids that want to pray or have questions that they can’t do that. It is , IT IS, the exact same thing. I think that prayer should be allowed. Not forced. If a child doesn’t want to close their eyes to pray, they should not have to.. they can sit there in silence and color, or whatever. That is fine, but if a child wants to pray in class, on the football field, before a test.. then so be it. FREEDOM right? Freedom to choose if you pray or not. Freedom to choose how you answer a question about religion. (The Pledge should be said every day also)
I mean, think back when I was in school or when you were in school. Did you say the pledge? Did you pray before school started around the flag? Were you able to ask questions and get answers? Did you take a bible class in your public school? How did you turn out? Probably WAY better than these kids are turning out where none of this is allowed. And they wonder why kids are the way they are.. we are teaching them that they can get away with anything. Such as, if one person has a problem with prayer in schools, it is blown up into this entire ordeal and then banned. Honestly it is all bullcrap. Banning prayer and now the pledge because it has “under God” in it. At least (for now) private schools are able to teach, pray, and answer questions. I can’t imagine Mady not doing that in her day to day activities at school. I guess that made my decision about private or public schools for next year. (although you do what you have to do and if private school is not an option, then we will of course embrace all the other options.. just throwing that out there)
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