good resource for talking to kids about life's big questions

[Anonymous]

I would describe myself as a questioning but hopeful catholic. I had been taking a brief hiatus from church, but plan to start going back with my 5 year old. She is at the age where her mind is just full of questions about death, heaven, etc. ("Why does God want us to die?" "Can you talk to people in heaven?" etc., etc.) I was wondering if anyone had found a good resource in approaching question like this with their children. My answers are pretty open ended, "some people think X." "what do you think heaven is like . . . " Ultimately my goal is to expose her to my faith and belief structure, with the caveat that I question and believe that it is okay to question both faith and the church's doctrines, and to expose her to other faiths and let her choose, but I am also concerned that I am leaving it too open-ended for a 5 year old. Any thoughts and suggestions welcome. Thanks in advance.

[Anonymous]

Well, the truth is things are open-ended. If you question, then it's fair to allow her to question (hey, she is questioning -- she's inquiring, after all!).

Secular humanists have answers to these questions:

"Why does God want us to die."
A: Well, dying is part of living. It just happens. But you don't have to worry about that. You are very young, and you have a lot to do and learn before you're even just a teenager!

"Can you talk to people in heaven?"
Oh, heaven is such a big mystery. But I sure hope you can talk to everyone up there. It'd be so much fun to see people we haven't seen in so long.

"Does heaven exist?"
Oh, gosh, I think so. The Bible says: [whatever it says on the matter.] And I really like this idea, don't you?

Honestly, I'm not a believer, so my responses would be a bit more vague. I'd return the question to her, and steer the conversation to a hopeful, optimistic view. She is just 5, after all.

[Anonymous]

not about faith, but PBS has an age-specific guide on how to help kids absorb and understand bad stories in the news, like Haiti.
http://www.pbs.org/parents/talkingwithkids/news/agebyage.html

[Anonymous]

Don't know if you are still looking for responses. My parents were fallen away Catholics, and the biggest disservice they did me and my brother was not raising us with any faith. It is so hard to go through childhood/adoloescence without that spiritual foundation. Take her to church! Get her religious ed. Let her be in youth groups. If she ultimately leaves the Catholic church, at least she has not been flailing about as a child with no guidance. You may find it a great opportunity to grow in your own faith, too. My husband and I both converted to Catholicism as adults after our children were born, b/c the responsibility of raising children brings those "big questions" to the fore for all of us (ok, for some of us). It's been such a blessing for our family. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Like you, I'm "hopeful, but questioning" and grew up, somewhat nominally, as a Roman Catholic. (My parents were more on the questioning side, than hopeful.) As parents DH and I wanted to give our children the opportunity to experience faith. We have found a home as parishioners at St. Columba's Episcopal Church (in DC -- just off Wisconsin at Albemarle). It's a wonderful community that embraces inquiry and even doubt as central to faith. Most families with very young kids (under 6) attend the children's services, but the regular service at 9 a.m. on Sundays also has a storytime for kids 8 and under during the sermon.

St. C's also has a wonderful Sunday School program and a library with an excellent selection of books for kids on religious topics. A fellow Sunday School teacher introduced me to a wonderful book "A Faith Like Mine", which provides a child's perspective on several major religious traditions.

HTH.

[Anonymous]

Hadn't checked back on this post for a few weeks. Sorry. I appreciate all of the responses -- they are all very helpful. I am planning on finding a church -- and I will check on St. Columba's as well as a few Catholic churches. I am definitely going to try to pick up the book. Thank you.