11 Apr 2009 —
Question
Q114: Spiritual Children?
Question 114:
“How do you raise children spiritually in a materialistic society? ”
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In “being” the spiritual “example” in front of them,,, in living it and applying it in all daily situations.
JAI MAA ! Keep holding on to our Ponnu AMMAs Divine feet very tightly and keep Praying to HER very intensely to take care of All HER children always and show HER DIVINE path. There is no other path, other than our BELOVED AMMAS saranagathi. JAI MAA !
Everything is spiritual anyway so,the only thing necessary is to point it out when children are old enough to understand. Focus ought to be shifted to the ‘unseen’ rather than the ‘seen’. It is a gradual shift.
Peace
AMMA said, while the children are very young, inculcate all spiritual values (yoga, dhyana, japa, bhajan, selfless services etc …) by introducing a divine Master like AMMA and thus they retain the values till the end of their life untouched by the world even as a lotus flower is untouched by the waters of lake in which it is born.
if i have children i am seriously considering schooling them with amma’s “jump grades” and keeping them out of school.
We have to give them the freedom to choose the kind of life they want to live. If we try and restrict them so they don’t become materialistic, they will only rebel. Teach them about Amma, teach them the spiritual things, but if they don’t accept them that is their choice. They are evolving souls themselves, and need to experience what they choose to experience. Offer what you can, but let them decide as they will.
Good question! Being a perfect example of what is teached. Doing things according to the teachings of the spiritual master. TV should be prohibited until 5 and later controled. Taking them to natural surroundings.Telling them lots of stories of great ethical principles…taking them, at least once a year to Ammas Darshan .
Children are so receptive and learn from situations so fast. Each and every children have in-born tendencies, which would activate on appropriate time. Their first heros are parents. Parents got a key role and responsibility to be a model; and we are. I do understand the fact that we are biological parents for our children. Their real mother is our beloved Amma. They are totally attached to Amma and I have no worry about them. Amma Sharanam.
i would tell my child to first pray to God to bless him with a Guru in his life and the rest will be taken care of by his Guru. and he will lead a spiritual life automatically.
Try to be spiritual in life and be someone the child looks up to and wishes to follow. The rest is in God’s hands. We must remind ourselves that we are really helping with the child only for a short while. God is their real parent and the child should learn to love Him. Luckily, we are with Amma and only Her grace can help us bring up children in these times of extreme materialism.
Most of us have to live and grow in the materialistic world, so be in it but not of it. Children should be made aware that the life’s true goal is God realization and that the material needs should be simple and basic, and the skills to earn money can be simple. Teach them to pray, meditate, and give them spiritual education. Teach them to rely internally on the supreme Guru, Amma or God. Parents should be an example.
Amma says it Herself – sow the seeds at a very young age. Teach them the stories of the Ramayana, Mahabharata, the Bible, the Talmud, the Qua’ran, or whatever other scripture your faith follows. Bring God into everything you do when they are small children, and no matter what trials they face in the future, they will always have that foundation. Another important factor is allowing them to develop their own relationship with God, rather than imposing the parents’.
As long as AMMA is physically present as the greatest role model of them all, spirituality will resonate well with children (and adults). Otherwise, all efforts to raise kids in this mad, mad world is like trying to fill a broken vessel with water. I find that adults have become sooooo selfish that they no longer care about the younger generation. They live as if they are gonna live forever! Life has become about earning money and little else.
Being the spiritual example for them,showing them our Amma’s path by applying HER messages in day to day life.Taking them to the Satsangs, Bhajans, Ashram, temples, orphanages etc whenever possible. Explaining to them the importance of Bhajan, Japa, Meditation, Seva etc. Can make them a part from day1 by keeping them on our lap when we do Bhajan, Japa etc
Above all,AMMA will hold their hands & guide them if we (parents) are in HER PATH.
Children learn everything from their parents, so we should be a perfect role model. Yesterday someone asked my son what type of a girl would he like to marry, he answered that the girl should have the qualities of my mother.
Once one mother brings her son to a saint and asks him to make him a disciple.The saint asks what’s his age and mother tells him 4 months.The saint tells her ‘IT’S VERY LATE MY DAUGHTER!’.It’s said in scriptures that a child starts to learn from mother’s womb itself. Remember the story of Abhimanyu learning from Krishna,the battle secrets!
Similarly the parents are the first teachers. Catching them young is the secret .It’s very important to make them see, hear and read only good things from the surroundings!
Well, being still a child, and growing up in a materialistic age, I know what I would do. Just let the child be. My mom never instructed me to worship this God, not that one, she just made sure I knew what was right and wrong. Parents are a child’s first Guru. If you want your child to not be materialistic, you shouldn’t be. Make religion fun, not something a child dreads! A child will do whatever it’s parent does.
1. As parents, we have to do Sadhana daily, 108 names definitely and should also ask our kids to do with us.
2. We have to keep Amma photos in all our rooms in our home.
3. We have to daily worship and pray to Amma and daily listen to Bhajan songs at home and in car. Kids will also watch and listen and will do it with us. It will then become their habit.
4.Say stories and incidents we have read in Awaken Children to our kids.
5. keep a whiteboard at home, ask kids to write one Amma’s message each day/week. (from Awaken children or any source).
6. We have to let them know that we are so lucky and it is unbelievable that we have met Amma, know who Amma is, directly talk to Amma and get her Blessings.
7. there is lot more, but I am trying to keep it brief. As parents, sincerely try our best and keep insisting the kids to do their Sadhana until they do it automatically. (will just take a few months to make it a habit). trust me ! it works for me, for both my kids.
When AMMA touches the Kids they are transformed. Yes, once a year they should have darshan of AMMA. As far as possible they should attend Ashram programmes either in Amritapuri or local Ashrams.
I think if the parents leads a grahastashram life, the children will certainly follow the spiritual path. Mother who gave birth to the child is first guru in its life. She is the only reponsible person for the child’s good culture and all. Up to 5 years mother should be very care full about samskara of the child. Then once the seed is sowed, nothing to worry , it will certainly sprout when there are favourable circumstances .
In the childhood parents should take the child to The Guru’s Asharam .And let the child learn good advices from the Guru and also let the child interact with the Guru.
When the parents have a deep love for God and imbibe values and center their activities around Love, it is hard for the children not to fall in love with God too. In time they will turn to this reality which sustains all of life.
Remember every minute that I’m only baby sitting Amma’s child, so I better do my work with love and awareness, ’cause the work is too precious to mess up. Amma knows what is good for Her child and will provide what is needed for me to do my job.
My 3 year old son does Sadhana with me…as long as I do chanting first, he is content to behave when I am in silence. Dare I leave the bed before Sadhana he says with an authoritative tone: ‘Meditation First!’. Once we begin he gets very excited and says ‘Mommie do Dyamo!’…yes he still says ‘Sukie-nose bhavantu’.
We have Amma photos everywhere. As a baby he had Mother’s picture on the inside of his crib. He once layed his Flintstones vitamin at the base of one of the pictures…what prasad!
He attended his first satsang when 6 weeks old (after attending many in the womb) and took IAM in the womb as well.
Neither I nor my son are perfect, however with Mother’s grace he will continue to make me do my sadhana!
Real mother is our beloved Amma. My kids are totally attached to me and I have no worry about them. I used to tell amma to guide me to do service for them. I am leading a family life, the children will certainly follow the spiritual path. They studied in amrita vidalayam in the beginning. Foundation is good with values. Amma knows what is good for Her children and will provide what is needed for me to do my job.
This is a great question. It is my experience seeing so many families that if the child has innate spiritual tendencies, it is good to enforce them. Otherwise, if you live in any place other than India and the child is constantly exposed to the materialistic world, do not force them but you practice and show them your way. If you try to impose, they will take the opposite path. If they have strong desires to indulge in the material world, then let them be. Do not oppose that. Eventually as time passes they will come back to appreciate your spiritual practice and they will too.
But, if the children have Amma’s grace..nothing to worry about
Children are born spiritual beings. As parents we can give them the room to be who they truly are, not what we want them to be. At the same time, being a presence that let’s them know we are always there to help them, and guide them. When they make mistakes, as they will, and we as parents will, let them have the opportunity to learn from them, and not be belittled or made to feel they have too greatly disapointed us.
Homeschooling with the very basics till a child understands clearly the world and most of it’s challenges. With a proper education a child knows what they are going to face and has the building blocks to solve any problem. I am very against public schooling, because it pits children against each other and causes discomfort to the shy and encourages them to seek attention. It is not a good atmosphere for focused learning.