Originally Posted by momofsix:
My children have NEVER been "dragged' to church.
They go with us because when they were little they went wherever we went...be it the store, the restaurant, grandma's or church. Now that they are older (13-26) they go b/c they want to!
As a parent there were a lot of things I didn't expose my young children to. All parents have a belief system that they want their children to learn. Whatever it is, that is their choice. As kids get older, they will question things on their own. We live in America and it's 2011. There is no way to shelter kids like that anymore (unless you're amish!)
For example: I didn't have to bring my girls to the mosque for them to learn about muslims...my dd's roommate is muslim and has spent many weekends at our house, interacting with our whole family. They will learn about whatever they want to learn about...you know how kids are! I didn't bring them to a satanic church, because I didn't want them to go-that doesn't mean i'm insecure in my faith...it means I'm careful about what I allow around my children (as are all parents)
To the OP, you did nothing wrong and neither did that little girl. I would just tell the other mom that you can't stop her from praying, if she doesn't want her daughter to say it then she can tell her daughter that. It's on her, not you.
"You believe what you believe, and I'll believe what I believe" - words from a county song. Frankly to those who are easily offended by "things" others do; what business is it of yours? If you want to pray, what right does another have to say otherwise? If you happened to be among a group who did, and you didn't; you wouldn't like having their ways shoved down your throat either. As I get older we seem to think that "we" should be able to run everybody else's business. What happened to us?
I saw some people not long ago in public eating.
BEFORE anyone took a bite, they
all lowered their heads and silently prayed! I sat a couple of tables away and noticed it. Wow, I thought - you don't see that much any more!
Personally I do not. I was raised that way, and chose not too when I got out on my own. However, when my family comes for Thanksgiving and Christmas these last few years we have taken to offering a prayer before anyone eats. Is it right or wrong?
As a country we use to have much higher morals than today. You can see it by watching TV. What you see (and hear) is often not fit for little eyes and ears; but it has become the accepted way. Those who choose NOT to accept that way have every right to do so.
I have yet to met a person who didn't consider themselves a "good" person. Yet some feel their beliefs or ways should be the way everybody else lives. Doesn't the freedom we have in our country allow for differences? What makes your way the only way?
To the lady with the child praying in your daycare, I hope you consider telling the complaining mom, she might want to go elsewhere if that is such a big problem for her. "Good" people pray. They pray for others enduring loss of a family member, or some hardship because they care enough about others to want to help. It may or maynot actually help, but most of the time they are the people who do so many other things besides "just" pray. They bring food, offer what help they can. What a sad cold place we all will live in when the believers have to start believing in secret AGAIN because they are no longer allowed to in public.
There are good people that do not pray as well. Those people are not trying to control the others, but agree to disagree and live together. We can all do that if we would just expect to yield sometimes. It's like smoking, the smokers have that right, as do the non smoker to not breath the smoker's smoke. I smoked for decades and stopped. I don't kick up about those that do when I am around them. If the smoke bothers me, I move. They don't blow it in my face, and we all get along fine.