A number of years ago, my father gave me a small pendent of an anchor. I wore it on a necklace, similar to the way Christians wear crosses. I never felt comfortable wearing a cross, none of them ever felt "right" and I never had a Christian Science "cross and crown" pendent, although for a … Continue reading My Inner Quiet
Category: parenting
48-hour stomach bug – Kat’s Story
The following is a guest post I wrote that was originally posted at Emerging Gently. I am sharing it again here as part of the on-going "I went to the Doctor" series, which details first hand experiences of Christian Scientists and former-Christian Scientists who sought medical care or treatment outside of Christian Science. We hope … Continue reading 48-hour stomach bug – Kat’s Story
opting out of sex-ed
An article entitled Should Kids Need Parental Consent to Get Sex Education in School? (1) recently appeared in my facebook feed. Apparently the need for parental consent is "to protect the children" Republican state Sen. Mary Pilcher-Cook sponsored bills S.B. 376 and H.B. 2620 after a constituent came to her in January appalled at a … Continue reading opting out of sex-ed
Christian Science: Lobbying It or Living It?
A Christian Scientists perspective on Congressional Lobbying over healthcare and exemptions for Christian Scientists. Beautifully put and well worth the read.
UPDATED: Calling your Congress People on Religious Exemptions
As a general rule, I try not to get involved in politics, but I don't feel that religions should be exempted from anything -- they should pay taxes, they should have to enroll in health care. As Jesus reminded them, render unto Caesar what is Caesar's. Jesus also said "suffer the little children" (Matthew 19:14) … Continue reading UPDATED: Calling your Congress People on Religious Exemptions
A Loving Summation of Atheism to a Worried Christian Mother
What an amazing answer. I’m going to have to keep it around for when I (finally) tell my mother I’m an atheist.
Yesterday, an old friend sent me a message on facebook to a pretty extraordinary page on reddit. The page, which can be found here, is a Christian mother asking for help on how to react to and treat her son which just announced his atheism to her.
I applaud such a parent that reaches out for help in the way she did. She may also have sought out or is currently seeking help from a pastor or other church leaders, but she deliberately went to the atheism thread on reddit and asked for help. Wow. Way to go, mom! What better people to ask about how to deal with this than other atheists that have more than likely gone through very similar situations themselves?
There was one response which blew me away. So far, it’s one of the most articulate, non-threatening, loving and diplomatic responses to a question like…
View original post 1,092 more words
Steiner’s Verses: Mother Earth, Father Sun
The sing-song voice of Kid1 floated into the kitchen: Give thanks to the Mother Earth.Give thanks to the Father Sun. These lines were repeated a few times, and then there was a crash of blocks as they moved on to something else. I asked Kid1 about the song later and was told "we sing at … Continue reading Steiner’s Verses: Mother Earth, Father Sun
Celebrating the Seasons and a few thoughts on Modern Pagnism, Children and Religion
I feel the need to preface this with a story. The other day I mentioned to my husband that I'd had the strangest dream in which Phineas Parkhurst Quimby and Mary Baker Eddy were portrayed by Muppets Uncle Deadly and Miss Piggy (complete with the MBE-hairsytle of later years) in a Muppet-esque skit, song and … Continue reading Celebrating the Seasons and a few thoughts on Modern Pagnism, Children and Religion
keeping the “fun” in “dysFUNctional” this holiday season
The holiday season can be trying, so in the spirit of keeping the "fun" back in "dysfunctional" I'm sharing a few things which are making my days a little brighter and more merry (other than the pint of gelato in the freezer and bottles of cheer chilling in the garage). Also, this post kicks off … Continue reading keeping the “fun” in “dysFUNctional” this holiday season
An Open Letter to Debi Pearl
Growing up, I knew many Christian Science parents who followed ideas that mirrored those of in To Train Up A Child wrapped in other ideals, under the guise of “parent-led” decisions – strict scheduling, extreme sleep-training, boot-camp-style potty training and parent-led feeding of a nursing baby.
At the end of the day, you have to meet the child where they are, it is not a power struggle for dominance (although it may feel that way at 2 am when the little one refuses to sleep). This is something I’m still working on myself, I find I have to stop and remind myself, “they’re only little kids” not evil masterminds.
Instead of turning to books like My First 300 Babies or the Babywise series (both praised in the Christian Science community as excellent standards for parenting and must-have books), why not try Peaceful Parenting? Appropriately this link (http://peacefulparent.com/pitfalls-obedience-training/) is about the pitfalls of obedience training, something the (conservative) Christian community seems to relish.
HA note: The following is reprinted with permission from Libby Anne’s blog Love Joy Feminism. It was originally published on Patheos on October 24, 2013.
Dear Debi,
I was very excited when I read your article of this past August, titled “The Roland Study.” In that article, you began with this opening paragraph:
My grandson Roland, who just turned one, has taught me more about the development of babies and toddlers than I learned my first sixty-plus years of life. It is not that he is such a fine teacher; it’s just that, now that I’m a grandmother, not responsible for meeting the daily needs of my children, I can seriously focus on what makes him tick: how much he understands, what causes him joy or anxiety or fear, his interests and responses—and, most importantly, what a child is capable of learning at various ages.
I am…
View original post 1,196 more words
kind-ism 