Christian Childhood

Surely all Christian parents want to raise Christian kids. But what does a Christian childhood look like?  In our culture today, and many other cultures over time, these are challenges that must be over come. In America, luxury, distraction, immediate gratification and indulgence are constantly at our fingertips and pretty much the norm. It's not enough to simply say, "Don't do xyz." Children must do something with their time. As adults, this has an easy answer.  We work, pray, go to Divine Liturgy and sleep a little. What about kids? What does a Christian childhood look like?  Do we simply work them into exhaustion?  What about a happy childhood?  We can't expect them to have the same attention span and interests as adults, they're not adults. What do we do?

So many things are so deceptive. How often do we hear, "But xyz is not sinful, it doesn't say in the Bible that we can't do xyz." Raising children to be pure is tricky business.

Two things: pray for them and live like we are supposed to live, being an example for these impressionable minds. We must do everything in our power to form our children’s minds to think Christ's thoughts after him. If we love the things of the world, the temporary, immediate, fleshly things, then our children will love them too. Not necessarily the exact same things but they will live, move, and think in the way we have trained them, both consciously and subconsciously. This is one reason why it is so important to uncover and deal with our own sins, sooner than later. We don’t want to pass on our own faulty thinking and living to our kids. The only thing we actually possess, the only thing with eternal value that is ours, are our children. We will be held responsible for what we have or have not done with our kids.

So whatever the childhood we provide for our children looks like, we had better think through all the details and be sure of what we are doing. If we are uncertain of any aspect, we need to seek direction from our spiritual father.  It is only wise to seek input and direction from those who are older and wiser than us.  It is foolishness to undertake such an important endeavor and seek to do it on your own.