Embracing the Spirit of the Season
with Children
|by Dr. Laura Markham
“Love is what’s in the room with you if you
stop opening presents and listen.”
— Bobby, age 7
If you have a deep faith and keep the rituals of
your religious tradition, then you’ve probably
given a lot of thought to your child’s spiritual
development and have your holiday religious
plans all mapped out.
If, on the other hand, you wonder how to put
what you believe into words and aren’t sure
what spiritual beliefs you want to pass on to
your kids, this article is for you.
All humans have a spiritual dimension. You
don’t have to believe in a supreme being to
teach your child the great universal spiritual
lessons. Whatever your beliefs, you probably
want your children to know that life is sacred,
that nature deserves a certain reverence, that
your child’s presence in the world can contribute to joy and goodness, that things have a way
of working out (not always as we expect), that
the greatest joy usually comes from connecting and sharing with others, and that while we
don’t always get what we want, we can always
choose to make the most of what we get.
Some ideas for spiritual discovery, at the holidays and any time…
Nurture your child’s sense of wonder.
People who feel connected to nature are healthier physically and emotionally. Don’t feel you
have to turn it into a science lesson, reducing
the sacred whole to mechanistic parts. Just try
to build in enough time so you can stop rushing your child past the wondrous moments of
everyday life: sun glittering on the snow, the
rising moon, candles in the dark, the fragrance
of green things... all remind us that we’re
surrounded by miracles.
Let children hear the sounds of silence.
Many of us use background TV and radio as a
way to avoid being alone with ourselves. Children, even more than the rest of us, need quiet
time to simply be present with themselves.
Music is a wonderful part of setting the mood
in your house, and singing is essential to celebration. But if radio or TV voices are intruding
on the peacefulness of your home, it increases
everyone’s tension level. Why not take the opportunity over the holidays to turn off the TV
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