As a parent who has left the CRC, I find this article and the included reference material troubling. The implied assumption is that grandparents should feel free to subvert the parents' intended religious upbringing of their children. It also seems that the implied purpose for building relationships is to sell the grandparents' faith to the grandchildren, not unlike the newly friendly neighbor angling to later sell you Amway.
How would you feel about grandparents who used similar techniques and resources to convert their Christian grandchildren to Scientology? You might advise parents to avoid leaving their children with them. The kids probably wouldn't be too thrilled about it either. To me, this is no different.
My advice is to keep grandparental "discipling" to a minimum. If you want a good relationship with your children and grandchildren, consider these guidelines:
⦁ Talk with the parents about their wishes regarding their kids' religious upbringing, then respect those wishes (and the parents), even when the parents aren't around. ⦁ Answer the kids' questions about your religious beliefs without pressuring them to adopt your beliefs as their own. ⦁ Have devotions, pray, talk about faith, etc. as much as you normally would if they weren't around, not more or less. ⦁ Don't target them with religious videos, books, music etc.
Be yourself, be honest and, contrary to this article, don't manipulate your grandchildren in sneaky ways or conspire with your congregation to do so. Support, encourage and enjoy your family, wherever they are on their faith journey. It's infinitely more pleasurable for everyone, and, frankly, reflects more positively on your faith.
The reason I like the video is that I think the people at the table are meant to be simply enjoying each other's company, not scheming to influence the religion of their neighbors and their kids. It's a liberating feeling to truly accept others as they are. Christians should try it.
Posted in: Grandparents Discipling Grandchildren
As a parent who has left the CRC, I find this article and the included reference material troubling. The implied assumption is that grandparents should feel free to subvert the parents' intended religious upbringing of their children. It also seems that the implied purpose for building relationships is to sell the grandparents' faith to the grandchildren, not unlike the newly friendly neighbor angling to later sell you Amway.
How would you feel about grandparents who used similar techniques and resources to convert their Christian grandchildren to Scientology? You might advise parents to avoid leaving their children with them. The kids probably wouldn't be too thrilled about it either. To me, this is no different.
My advice is to keep grandparental "discipling" to a minimum. If you want a good relationship with your children and grandchildren, consider these guidelines:
⦁ Talk with the parents about their wishes regarding their kids' religious upbringing, then respect those wishes (and the parents), even when the parents aren't around.
⦁ Answer the kids' questions about your religious beliefs without pressuring them to adopt your beliefs as their own.
⦁ Have devotions, pray, talk about faith, etc. as much as you normally would if they weren't around, not more or less.
⦁ Don't target them with religious videos, books, music etc.
Be yourself, be honest and, contrary to this article, don't manipulate your grandchildren in sneaky ways or conspire with your congregation to do so. Support, encourage and enjoy your family, wherever they are on their faith journey. It's infinitely more pleasurable for everyone, and, frankly, reflects more positively on your faith.
Posted in: #EatTogether
The reason I like the video is that I think the people at the table are meant to be simply enjoying each other's company, not scheming to influence the religion of their neighbors and their kids. It's a liberating feeling to truly accept others as they are. Christians should try it.