Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Religion's Generation Gap
There was an article in the Wall Street Journal this past weekend regarding "Religion's Generation Gap". It was interesting to see that some teens are now "rebelling" by becoming strongly devout (rather than drinking, taking drugs, etc). Apparently it's causing problems in some families - especially if the kids are much more committed to a religion than their parents are. I worry about that a little with my kids (since I'm not active in a religion) but hopefully they can keep an open mind even if they decide to get deeply involved with their religion.
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2 comments:
I thought it prudent to comment on this article since we both face similar situations a few years from now. First and foremost, I don't see this issue being any different than if our children decided to be musicians rather than doctors or lawyers--perhaps our preferred choices. As much as we might want them to pursue these careers, they must make their own choices. Our role as parents should never depart from that of a mentor. Yet, too often we read about the rebellious nature of teenagers, of kids in general expressing anger and distrust because of their parent's overbearing influence in their lives. I'm in no way suggesting parents should not play an active role in their children's lives. On the other, the way I see it, we should constantly serve as conduits to ensure our children will have the opportunities to live their own dreams--not ours. Our roles gradually evolve over time; part of the evolution should prepare us to accept our children for who they are and how different they maybe from what we originally had in mind. It is human nature to want to be involved, but that involvement should not be to a point that is detrimental to the relationship we share with them.
I decided long ago that I would be fine with my child being raised in the Mormon religion. One thing is for certain, I will never force my children to follow a religion unless they want to. And when they ask, I will gladly share my views with them, and perhaps open their minds to a different point of view.
I thought it prudent to comment on this article since we both face similar situations a few years from now. First and foremost, I don't see this issue being any different than if our children decided to be musicians rather than doctors or lawyers--perhaps our preferred choices. As much as we might want them to pursue these careers, they must make their own choices. Our role as parents should never depart from that of a mentor. Yet, too often we read about the rebellious nature of teenagers, of kids in general expressing anger and distrust because of their parent's overbearing influence in their lives. I'm in no way suggesting parents should not play an active role in their children's lives. On the other, the way I see it, we should constantly serve as conduits to ensure our children will have the opportunities to live their own dreams--not ours. Our roles gradually evolve over time; part of the evolution should prepare us to accept our children for who they are and how different they maybe from what we originally had in mind. It is human nature to want to be involved, but that involvement should not be to a point that is detrimental to the relationship we share with them.
I decided long ago that I would be fine with my child being raised in the Mormon religion. One thing is for certain, I will never force my children to follow a religion unless they want to. And when they ask, I will gladly share my views with them, and perhaps open their minds to a different point of view.
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