At what point should a parent decide that maybe, just maybe, even if they themselves didn't go to church, should spend time explaining to their kids the meaning behind holidays and religion.
I recently had an epiphany that my son didn't magically know religious meanings behind holidays. As I grew up in a household where religion was prominent, even if my parents didn't directly teach me; the church did. Somehow, this translated in my brain that my knowledge would float into my sons head without me actually telling him.
Easter 2011 I decided to spend time with my parents as my aunt from out of state was visiting. In the couple of days I was there I made a cake out of candy, came across a man who thought he was sheriff of a dirt road, tried to find a long lost cat and tried to play food trickeries on my mom while she was out of her mind making sure everything was perfect for guests. (helpful hint to others who do this - don't do it)
While my sister and I were busy in the kitchen making our 'Easter cake' (that nobody ate), I hear rumblings going on in the living room between my parents, son and aunt. The large debate was whether we would go to the early church service at 7:30 or the late service at 10:30. As my dad was the only one who wanted to go early, and he is stubborn, this conversation went back and forth for awhile. Dad really had no good reason for continuing to want to go early other than what I believe to be as he is now older, and the older you get, the earlier you wake up. Since I generally wake up around 6:30 on the weekends and I am in my 30's, I can only guess Dad now wakes up at 4:30 as my theory is it is an hour earlier each decade. No wonder he wanted to go early - it's his bedtime by the time the later service gets done.
I notice there is a break in conversation and I hear my son speak up with his wisdom, I don't know why we are talking about this, there probably is no church tomorrow, its a holiday. As funny as I thought this was, my mother was horrified, she began yelling at me to get the bible and take him to church immediately. I'm surprised she didn't find some holy water to throw on him. As my mother began her speech about Easter being a religious holiday and this is WHY we go to church on Easter, my son then through in more wisdom, well banks are closed on Sunday, I figure church should be. Oh goodness!
So tell me how my knowledge didn't float into his head all of these years without my telling him? How would kids know about the link between certain holidays and religion if we don't teach them? Should we expose our kids for this one benefit if we ourselves are not actively religious?
Easter is the one holiday my teenage son still looks forward to so he can do an Easter Egg hunt. He has no shame. Did he really think Easter was created by a bunny who hid eggs that fell out of his butt? Bunnies don't even lay eggs, the joke is on him. And speaking of that, how did bunnies and eggs get placed together? Why isn't a large chicken the Easter staple? I can picture it now; parents dressed up as a chicken squatting in the yard laying eggs.
Let's just say if that happens, church is closed for the holiday, at least in my house, because that is a spectacle I want to see.
