Quotable Kids: On God and Spirituality
For many parents, one of the great joys of raising children is getting to teach them about God and faith. It is such a privilege to guide these tender souls in their spiritual development.
These moments of teaching our children about spirituality are both sweet and – let’s be honest! – sometimes incredibly funny. Last spring, for example, my Monkey and I were looking at pictures of the Bahá’í holy sites in Israel, including a photo of the beautiful Shrine of the Báb. My Monkey listened to my careful explanation then informed me that he was planning on going there so he could climb the stairs and show the Báb his firetruck 🙂
Recently I followed a thread in a parenting forum I belong to, in which moms started to share funny stories about their children learning about God. These stories were so touching and laugh out loud funny that I knew they had to be shared with a larger audience.
With their permission, I have reproduced these wonderful stories below, along with those I have since collected from other friends and fellow bloggers. I am hoping to be able to do another similar post in the future, so please share your stories in the comments or on our Facebook page!
Relationship with God
Catherine of Momma’s Fun World: When my son was 3 yrs old we got out of church and I said “Did you talk to God in church today?” His reply was “Mom, you told me to not talk in church so how can I talk to him?”
Meg of North Carolina: My son told me once when I asked him where God was “God lives in your heart”.
Kristin of Simply Klassic Home: “Mommy, I can’t hear God talking.”
“Well you don’t hear Him with your ears, you listen with your heart.”
“I know why I can’t hear him! Because I’m covered with too much stuff!”
“Stuff?”
“Yeah, my skin!”
Carrie of Walluski Babble: My daughter Aimee tells her daughter Asiya, “We are going to Feast [Baha’i community gathering] tonight.” Asiya: “Why we going to Feast?” Aimee:” We go to Feast to keep God in our hearts.” Asiya: “God wants out?”
Andrea of Berlin: My then 2 year old came in with a toy phone next to her ear saying: “Oh God, guide me protect me…” I asked: “Did you call God?” She said: “Yes!” I responded: “So what did He say?” Her: “Alláh’u´Abhá!” [Arabic greeting meaning “God is Most Glorious!”]
Varya of China – Last night [for the Bahá’í Holy Day, Birth of the Báb, on October 19] we had a small potluck dinner with friends, afterwards we had some prayers and watched a very short presentation. It is really funny how my daughter reacted this year: her birthday is on 17th and we had a cake at school and at home. On 21st we have a small picnic with few families with children. So yesterday she told me she loved having another birthday. I said: “But you do know we are celebrating Báb’s birthday tonight? Your birthday was on Wednesday and your friends will see you on Sunday”. To which she replied: “It’s ok, Báb will share his cake with me” ♥
Kids’ Versions of Songs and Prayers
Carrie of Walluski Babble: I love how we all hear things differently and kids, so innocently, can bring a new perspective to everything. When mine were young one of our car songs was “Singing the Song of Peace” and one of the lines is “This is a world that is hungry for peace.” After singing this song for years one of our youngsters finally asked, “Why is the world always hungry for peas? Why isn’t it hungry for corn, or maybe even meat?” And then there is ending a prayer with, “Thou art the Mighty and Power to Greyskull!”
KLynne: When my oldest was little his favorite song was “We have come to sing praises to our Lord!” He was 3 and would dance around the living room singing “We have come to bring raisins to our Lord!”
Lynn of North Carolina: Our son (7 1/2 years old) made up his own prayer on a walk with my husband: O God, Thank you for the world, the trees, the grass, the houses and us. Thank you.
Joy of Washington: As I was singing “O God Guide Me” with my son (20 months) before bedtime, he decided to chime in with “honk, honk”, “beep, beep” and “E,I,E,I,O”!
Hediyeh G.: When my 7 year old was 3 she was memorizing a [Baha’i] prayer. When we said “The Bab” [an Arabic title pronounced like the English name “Bob”] she looked up at us in all seriousness and questioned with great delight “SPONGE BOB???” Also, with this particular prayer, my then 2 year old would always point to his sister MIA during the part of the prayer that says “…and make ME A brilliant star” and thought we were praying for her.
Varya of China: My daughter slipped last time while chanting a prayer and instead of “abide by his bidding” she chanted “abide by his beating.” She was very congested so I guess that’s why but I could barely keep from giggling.
Maria: When I put my then 5 months old son down for his nap – we looked together at his prayerbook and I read to him “Is there any remover of difficulties save God?” – he suddenly said “Neeee” (which in German means “Nooooo”) 
Emily of Maine: From Asher, at 20 months old, “Oh God guide me, protect me, make of me a shining lamp and a brilliant star. How I wonder what you are! Up above the clouds so high, like a diamond in the sky!”
Understanding Spiritual Teachings
Meredith of North Carolina: I had been talking to the kids about being a Light like Jesus was to the world and what shining that light meant…being kind, showing love, etc. One morning Emma woke up and came into my room, Zachary said “Good morning Emma! Give me a hug!” She walked right past him with a scowl on her face and sat down on my bed. Zachary just looked at her and said, “Well, I guess your Jesus light isn’t shining very bright this morning, huh?”
Chelsea of Australia: My three-year-old was calling out to a neighbor from our front lawn, “Hey come back and play with me!” The boy didn’t hear him and kept skating down the road. My child said to me, “That boy is not being obedient to me.” (This of course is after a few weeks of focusing on Obedience)
Jenny of California: We have been working on memorizing quotes from the Baha’i Writings almost nightly. During a stressful moment for me my 6 year old said sternly: “Mommy: ‘Put your trust in God and commit your affairs to His keeping.’ ”
Michelle of Ohio: We struggled for awhile with our daughter (8 years old) saying that it was unfair that mommy and daddy get to do anything that we wanted to. We told her no, we don’t get to do anything we want to – we have to be obedient to God. And her job as a child is to be obedient to her parents because God gave her her parents to guide her and help her learn to be obedient to God when its her turn (at the age of maturity). As she started to understand this … she summed it up this way: “I’m being obedient to God because I’m being obedient to you guys who are being obedient to God.”
-2 Comments-
Very cute! I have forgotten most of the funny moments that have passed with my daughter so far, I should have written them down!
It’s amazing how quickly it goes! You think you’ll remember everything, but…