Kindergarten: my son comes back full of religion stories from a classmate. How to handle it?
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Anonymous
| My family believes that religion is for private, inside family discussion and practice. We also have different religions in our family and we are exposing our son to all of them. Yet, the last few weeks our son has been coming back home full of religion stories from one of his classmate. Our son is repeating these stories. I do not know how to react. I do not want to talk about only one religion to him; and I do not feel comfortable confusing him... how do you handle religious talks? He goes to public school, that presumably should be secular. |
Anonymous
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The curriculum should be secular. Recess talk doesn't have to be.
Just tell your son that different people believe all different kinds of things. Emphasize what your family believes. |
Anonymous
| If you’re exposing your kid to all religions why do you care that he’s getting more exposure to one of them?! |
Anonymous
| What is there to handle? Your kid will hear lots of things from classmates in school that you may not have chosen to discuss with him. If you want to keep him in a bubble, homeschool. |
Anonymous
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Why can't you just tell him "that's what your friend believes. We believe XYZ."
A secular school doesn't mean kids don't talk about what they do. Including religion. |
Anonymous
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The school is secular. The classmates are not. There is a difference.
I’d simply tell him that different families have different ideas about things and that your family doesn’t agree with _____. I think if you seem upset or make a fuss it will only exacerbate the situation |
Anonymous
| This doesn't appear to have anything to do with DC public schools, other than it apparently happening to have happened inside one. |
Anonymous
+1 |
Anonymous
+2 |
Anonymous
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We are atheists. My dc has come home with religious stories before. I usually listen and say what an interesting story! He will drop it and forget about it fairly quickly.
I did find out that when he was younger, his carpool would listen to bible stories on the way to school. I didn’t say anything oto my son but did politely remind the carpool parents to refrain from listening to religious stories and trying to “save” my child. As long as no adult is trying to teach your child, they’ll soon forget. |
Anonymous
How would you feel if my child told your child that there is no God? It’s the exact same principle. I’m sure you’d be complaining bitterly. |
Anonymous
Complaining to whom? The teacher? To stop kids from talking at recess? Kids talk about religion, LOL dolls, lego movies, birthday parties... A school cannot police that. |
Anonymous
| I have kids in MS so maybe you don’t want my opinion but here it is. The person you need to speak with is your son. You are raising him and here is the beginning of many conversations on what you believe versus what friends believe. We cannot control others. We can only control how we react to them. Welcome to parenthood OP! |
Anonymous
This. |
Anonymous
What do you mean? It would be fine. Lots of people are atheist. I would also be fine if a Hindu person told my kids their religious stories and if a Muslim told theirs. Everyone is entitled to their own beliefs. It is your job to raise your child. No one else’s. You cannot control what the kids say on the playground. If you want that controlled of an environment, you need to homeschool. If you beliefs (or non beliefs) are so shaky that one child discussing them is upsetting (or makes you bitter?), you need stronger beliefs. |