I love my kids, and they are growing into wonderful, passionate atheists. This one is from March 24, 2005, under the fold....
The kids' spring break just started, the weather is gorgeous, and the computer is broken. What a great opportunity to spend a lot of time together (instead of timing each other's computer use)! Zoo next week? Oh, yeah!
In the last post about my kids, I concentrated on Coturnix Junior. This one is more about Coturnietta. She is eight years old. We went to Weaver Street Market for lunch (and also to get food for the rest of the family who remained at home). At one point she saw "Easter Egg Cookies" and gave me a look that meant "This look yummy - but they are about Easter - am I allowed to have one?". I said, "It's just a cookie and it looks good - go ahead". She got one and loved it.
We sat down and chatted about this and that and everything. She just finished her school Read-A-Thon. I converted her total minutes into hours - impressive 24+ hours of reading over two weeks - not bad at all. For that feat, she got a lot of prizes, including a good deal on books at a local independent bookstore. That was the first prize she wanted to cash in, so she went with her mother yesterday and bought a few books.
The book she first started reading is about Ancient Greek Myths, Gods and Creatures - a serious and thick book for her age. Every time she finishes a chapter she excitedly announces to everyone within hearing distance.
The early chapters are all about Gods. The first chapter is on Zeus, second on Hera, third on Athena, fourth on Poseidon, etc. She got about halfway through the fourth chapter when she came to me and announced that all those Gods are crazy, jealous, "spoiled brats". She gave me examples of a God who swallowed all his children, a goddess who killed a woman just because her weaving was better, etc. I agreed: "Yup, all the Gods are angry, violent, jealous, spoiled brats - that makes it fun to read about them".
I guess, as Majikthise said, that little Coturnices are indeed thriving....
Comments
Being an atheist parent, I'm curious about how the topic of religion has been handled in your discussions with you kids. My daughter is four and won't start school for another year because of her Nov. birthdate, but I know that once she enters public school, she'll encounter other kids that are steeped in religion (and teachers) and will come home with questions.
Right now, she's a perfect atheist. She has no knowledge of god, Jesus, or Ptah.
My current plan is to her about religion and the beliefs of others before she starts school, and I've been hoping that she'll see something on television or overhear a grown-up conversation that will prompt the discussion with, "what's god?" She knows that the big building down the street with a full parking lot on Sundays and Wednesday evenings is a "church," but she's never asked what a church is for.
The most inquisitive four-year old I've ever met has no interest in the things she sees and overhears about religion. She'll pick up a broken piece of concrete and try to smuggle her newly found "dinosaur fossil" in the house, but won't ask why the silly man on television keeps saying "praise Jesus!" (okay... these guys are like train wrecks to me when I'm channel surfing. I just have to stop and watch for a minute or two before moving on).
Did your kids ask you about religion, or did you bring it up first?
Posted by: CFeagans | July 18, 2006 12:36 PM