As a parent...WWYD?

[thalassa]

If another parent came to you and said that the way your child was sharing their religion with their child was confusing them or making them uncomfortable, how would you respond?

What if the situation were reversed and your child came to you?

[Monk]

Re: As a parent...WWYD?

I would talk to the other parent first to see if the issue could be resolve by openly discussing my/our religion with them and hopefully clearing up some of the confusion. If this was not an option then talking with my child (this shouldn't even be needed it is so silly)and try to explain that the other child/friend is not comfortable with talking about their/our beliefs. So out of respect for them try not to talk about religion in front of them. I would also make sure my child knows that a persons own personal religious beliefs are just that and there is more than one type of religion in this world and no one religion is right for all. I would hope that some type of understanding could be reached with the other parent so that they my remain friends despite the religious differences.

[Dumuzi]

Re: As a parent...WWYD?

I would probably tell them what my mother used to tell me when I was young.

Sometimes she'd explain how us and Christians believe different things. For example, she'd tell me how they believe that Jesus, peace be upon him, is the son of god and so on while we don't believe that.

But she'd always tell me never to go to my Christian friends and tell them that Jesus, peace be upon him, isn't really the son of god, because it will upset them and that 'you have your way and we have ours'. Which is a quote from the Qur'an.

[Medusa]

Re: As a parent...WWYD?

This could be a great opportunity to have an open dialog at a very basic easy level for both children..if both parents don't mind. Or not.


But if it's number two I would go with what Dumuzi said.

[B. de Corbin]

Re: As a parent...WWYD?

I'd treat it as a privacy issue.

Just as it is inappropriate for people to try touch each other in private areas without an invitation, it is also inappropriate to try to touch somebody's spirit/soul without permission.

I would suggest to my child that he/she set clear boundaries as to what is fit subject for conversation, and what is not. If the other person continues to invade the child's privacy, I would suggest that the child avoid that person, just as he/she would avoid somebody who grabs at his/her privates. Do this in an age appropriate manner, of course.

If the situation were reversed and my child were the aggressor, I would work on teaching him/her to respect the privacy of others, using whatever method I, as a parent, knowing my child, find appropriate.

Unfortunately, you don't have the law behind you in preventing this kind of molestation...

[Dez]

Re: As a parent...WWYD?

I've come back to this several times now...and I don't have any good answers. I live in a place where my former faith is the strong majority, and completely unrelated places will have people talking abou church matters. PTO meetings will have the moms talking about so and so being from the stake, or asking the men in priesthood to shovel the school walk when it snows.

If we're still here in three years, my daughters classmates will be talking about getting baptized, and she risks being shunned for not having that milestone.

I can totally see this conversation happening at least once. I don't know what to do, because I don't want to handle it n a way that tells my daughter she should be ashamed for not being the majority faith, which, while fine with being involved in every facet of society, is intensely uncomfortable if anyone else does so.