How does one go about teaching a kid all the things she needs to know? How did I learn the things I know? How do I pass those down to her?
I was thinking about this last week while sitting in a meeting where there was much singing. Mostly hymns. Older hymns for the most part. I came in late and did not end up with a song book, which was ok, because I knew the words to most of the songs. Well, at least the first and last verse--if we sang the ones in the middle it was more of a crap shoot.
We didn't sing religious songs at home that much, that I remember. Did I pick them up in church, or at camp, or in choir? I don't know. If you had asked, I never would have answered that I knew the words to those songs, but it seems some things sink in and stick with you.
These are the things I wonder how to teach my daughter. The things that make her a part of our family, of our religion, our culture. The things that she won't know she's learned, or that won't make a difference until she's grown and startled to discover it was inside her all along.
I think it has a lot to do with the people that you surround yourself/her with
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking about this post for a week now. In terms of religious customs and rituals, I was strongly influenced by school, church and friends in both places. In terms of God's work in the world and my life, I got my best and most impactful lessons from my mom. I remember being a little girl and whenever I was afraid, she would ask me who was watching out for me and taking care of me. And I would say that God was, and then we'd say a prayer or something. Although I haven't thought about that explicitly in YEARS, I know it has definitely shaped the way I view God, religion, spirituality, the whole nine. No pressure mama. ;)
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