Oh My Gods!

How do I even start this post? I don't know so I'll just dive in. We were sitting at the breakfast table yesterday when D looks at me and says "So small boy is getting to that age where we should probably start discussing religion with him." A little background here. D and I both label ourselves agnostic. We are good people who respect other people's beliefs whatever they are even if we don't always agree. I don't feel you have to believe in a higher power to be guided by a deep moral code and be a good person.

Now something you should understand is this: pretty much everyone we are going to meet traveling around in D's career field is probably going to be religious. The degree various from laid back, drink your body weight in booze Catholics to end of times, the Lord is coming for us all some sort of Christian (I'm not real clear on the exact title for that). We feel it's a good idea to let Link learn about whatever religions he wants and for both of our kids to choose whatever path, if any, that they want to take regarding faith and belief. We just don't subscribe to organized religion as parents but are more than open to helping our children figure out what they believe and understand the beliefs of the people they will encounter.

So with all that said, when small boy was about 5 I had a discussion with him about why he shouldn't say "Oh my God." Then of course I had to explain God to him. I am maybe not the best teacher for that but I gave him the general idea about God creating everything, etc. At the end of my explanation he came back with "Mommy, that's not even real. There's no way that could happen." Always the scientific mind he was having none of it. So I reserved any further explanation for a time when he was older.

Flash forward to this past weekend. D and I did our very best to give him a rough overview of religion, how there are many different ones, a general idea of an all powerful god, sin, church, etc. I think it's a good idea for him to at least understand what his friends are doing when they say they go to church. Well, like I said before, a couple of agnostics might not be the most worthy teachers of religion because somewhere along the way we ended up talking about Greek mythology and all their gods and Link seemed much more interested in that and whether or not there was a god of lava and volcanoes than he was in learning more about any religion his friends or family may have. We told him that he was more than welcome to ask us anything or learn more about religion. I am sure our friends wouldn't mind sharing with him or even letting him tag along to church.

 Our conversation ended, however, with him wanting to check out books at the library about Greek mythology and, ultimately, with the whole family playing a game we purchased while at PAX called Oh My Gods! reminiscent of a Guess Who type game featuring Greek gods. I suppose we worship the gaming gods.

All hail the gaming gods!

Now this post is not to poopoo on religion and if that's what you got from it you are reading the WRONG blog. But more to point out the way small boys mind works. He likes science and proof. He likes games. He likes volcanoes and he likes learning. This particular interest just happened to take a turn into learning about mythology and a new game. I'm sure at some point he will be interested in what his friends believe. But for now he's still only 6!

A Time I Had