my parents never raised me remotely religious. Not atheist either (which is a religion, imo).
And now I'm very spiritual and religious.
my personal opinion: raising your children to "be something" is not a good idea.
Parents nowadays raise kids to BE ATHLETES. To BE CHRISTIANS. To BE DOCTORS.
What about raising your kids to be themselves? If your kid wants to go to church, take her. If she wants to go to synagogue, take her. If she wants to stay at home and make brownies, do that.
I can't tell you how many of my friends have gone through serious issues around age 25 when they realize that what they were TAUGHT TO WANT isn't what they want.
my best friend in high school was a book-smart genius. We went to one of the top private schools in the country, and while I did well myself, he got Straight A's.
Long story short, after going to Princeton for 2 years, he had a mental breakdown, realized he'd been living FOR HIS PARENTS and now he's doing what he loves: playing golf.
Is he good? Not really. But he's happy.
Moral of the story: leave your kids the FUCK ALONE. They are NOT YOU.
If you love them, you'll help them be what they want to be. If you make them what you want to be, that's the antithesis of love. That's subconsciously saying, "if you want my love, you must be X."
and then we all wonder why kids are killing each other and doing serious amounts of drugs at 15. I'm all in favor of drug usage...but when its a conscious usage. When it's a 'choice,' not an escape.
So how do you raise your kids? I suggest answering their questions by helping them find their own answers.
