As a parent, most would say that they have a very smart child. There are just things that your own child is great at, when compared to other children. It is what makes us unique. If we were all good at the same thing, the world would not be the weird and wonderful place it is. That being said, my daughter is very smart, sometimes she even surprises me.
There are times when your child asks you questions and you just don't want to take the time to answer life's mysteries. Many parents even have answers at the ready to explain certain things like relationships, politics, religion, etc. I am not one of those parents, unless the answer is: "Not now, please go do something else."
Maybe other kids ask these questions too, or maybe because she asks the strangest adult-like questions, I have more difficulty answering them. I believe I should always be honest with my kids and allow them to form their own beliefs and opinions...as long as they don't hurt people or things in the process. It's working so far, but honestly, they are only 6 and 3 years old.
Princess began about an hour dialogue with me the other day, about whether God was a person or not. I told her that since I'd never met God, I wasn't sure. Evidently, my answer, or the fact that I was so honest about not knowing, threw her into some philosophical high gear and the questions began spewing forth.
So how does a Buddhist answer questions about God to a 6 year old?
Before anyone is surprised with me for being Buddhist or whether my answers are "correct" or not, please allow me to restate: I believe I should always be honest with my kids and allow them to form their own beliefs and opinions. This means, I won't give her standardized answers that really don't answer her curiosity. It also means, that if she decides to choose a different path than me, this is fine as long as she understands why she chose her path.
It was very strange to be able to ask her questions about her beliefs and have her ask me the same. It was definitely not how I expected this deep conversation to go. I also felt that my daughter was incredibly wise for her 6 years of age. There were times during the conversation when I felt she had a better grasp on what religion should be, than I did. It was absolutely amazing.
It was rather hard during some points to not say something like, "Well, I believe in Buddhism, so this is what you should believe too." I feel as though I have passed some secret parent test out there and should win a prize!
I've spent several days trying to determine if I want to post this or not. I try to keep my blog light and funny and I never, ever discuss religion or politics with anyone but my husband or my parents, just because I know that beliefs are very powerful things. However, this was a time in my life, that I was very proud of my daughter's grasp on things and also, one of those moments in my life, I will never forget.
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