How to Talk to Your Kids About God

Most young children have some concept of God. It is important to respond to their questions with sophistication and honesty.

By Rabbi David Wolpe

Most young children have some concept of God. It is important to respond to their questions with sophistication and honesty.

By Rabbi David Wolpe

Even parents who tell their children that they can ask them about "anything" often change the subject when children ask about God.

And they do ask.

"Who are God's parents?" "If God is so powerful, why doesn't God stop bad things from happening?" "Does God hear my prayers?" The questions are legion. In essence, they are the same questions that parents ask, although in another form. But they are questions we must address. After all, who among us is satisfied to give our children an intellectual, but not a spiritual education?

Our answers to these questions guide our children's view of the universe. What do we wish them to believe, that they are accidents of ancient chemistry or sparks of the divine? Whatever one's philosophy on these matters, we owe our children an honest and searching discussion.

Talking to children about God is a key component of their sense of self. Children are taught that they are important, but why are they important? Ask your children why they matter. I have asked thousands of children "why are you important." The usual answers are "I get good grades, I am good at sports, I have a nice job/boyfriend/girlfriend, my parents love me." All these answers spell trouble, because they are all based on something human, and everything human can change. Are we always going to be the brightest in the class, or have that boyfriend or feel our parents' love? Do you really want your child's self-esteem to be based on your emotional constitution? Is there no unvarying basis for self-worth?

Continue reading. 

How to Raise Mentsches, Not Bullies

The preschool teacher sent a nice note home: My delicious (OK, that’s my word) 2-year-old grandson L. had noticed that his classmate’s nose was running so he got a tissue and started to wipe the kid’s nose before the teacher swooped in with a lesson on hygiene.

L. should have given the lesson on empathy.

You read so much about bullying these days, but the two words I’ve never seen in those articles are “empathy” and “kindness.” And those are really the words that people need to understand, internalize, and teach to prevent and combat bullying.

I’ve seen bullying in the mom who screams when her child accidentally spills a glass of milk. And the dad who yells from the sidelines at Little League when the kid misses the ball. When the teacher smirks at a wrong answer. When a parent laughs derisively at an outfit the child has chosen herself to wear to school. Anything that diminishes, rather than enhances, a child’s sense of self is, to my mind, bullying. And the child learns the lesson—and goes and applies it to someone else, in other situations.
That is not to say that we as parents should not correct mistakes. Of course we should, that’s part of our job. But how we correct a mistake can be constructive or destructive. And how we act and talk to, and about, other people models behavior for our children.

One of my proudest experiences as a mother occurred over 20 years ago when my youngest son, A., was in day camp at the age of 4. The first few days he came home talking about a particular child, C., who seemed to be a little different from the other kids and who the other kids avoided. The day he told me that C. had an accident in the pool and soiled his bathing suit, I realized what was happening.

Continue reading.

The Last Train

Q&A with children’s author Rona Arato on her children's book The Last Train

On April 10, 1945, a train loaded with Hungarian Jews left the Bergen Belsen concentration camp. German officials were attempting to cover up the existence of the Jewish prisoners in anticipation of the arrival of Allied troops. Paul Arato, his brother Oscar, and their mother Lenke were three of the more than 2,000 people crammed onto that train. On April 13, U.S. soldiers discovered the train and liberated those inside.

Ahead of the 68th anniversary of that event, Rona Arato, Paul’s wife, is launching The Last Train (OwlKids), a children’s book based on her husband’s story.

Arato, a former teacher, has published 11 books for children including Ice Cream Town (Fitzhenry & Whiteside) and Working for Freedom: The Story of Josiah Henson (Napoleon & Company). Beginning in 1995, Arato spent four years as an interviewer with the Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation. Established by Steven Spielberg, the foundation records the testimonies of survivors and witnesses of the Holocaust. Arato convinced her husband to be interviewed, and after hearing his story, which he rarely talked about, she thought about writing a book.

The Last Train, which launches Sunday at the Beth Tikvah Synagogue in North York, also shifts forward to when Paul met his liberators at a 2009 symposium organized by New York State high school teacher Matthew Rozell.

Quillblog caught up with Arato to talk about her book.

How long did it take you to write The Last Train?

Probably about three years on and off, I must have gone through at least five drafts.

What went into putting this book together?

I did a lot of research and I read the accounts of the soldiers in the 30th infantry divisions. They were quite detailed, especially of the day of the rescue. Several of them had written their own memoirs, some were online, and others were from oral testimonies. Plus, there were some of the other survivors we met at the symposium Rozell organized. It was one of the most amazing experiences we’ve ever had. And that’s where I learned a lot too. Paul was six at the time of the liberation, some of the others were 15 or 18, so their memories were a lot stronger and they corroborated each other.

Continue reading.

JTN - Jewish TV Network

If you are not familiar with the online website, Jewishtvnetwork.com during Chol HaMoed Passover would be a great time to check it out with your children.  There's a "kidz" section with videos, including a Passover special where a family of puppets travels back in time and becomes enslaved in Egypt.  Not cloying and preachy.

The website also has features for adults, with sections on lifestyles, entertainment, cooking, spirituality, etc.  Check it out and spend some time visiting, reading stories, watching videos with the likes of Elie Wiesel and Sarah Silverman, getting al the latest Israeli news, as well as a video blog by Rabbi David Wolpe.

Passover Shopping Guide: Keeping Kids Entertained at the Seder

Uh-oh! With one week to go until Passover you might be wondering how to keep the kids occupied. Here are a few suggestions and most places will deliver withing a day or two.

If getting the kids through dinner on a regular night is hard, Passover dinner is a whole different beast. The seder is long, you can see and smell the food but you aren’t supposed to eat it yet, and all the adults are drinking too much wine. Enter these invaluable little items, all Passover-approved and ready to keep the kids occupied.

1. Inflatable Pharaoh Punching Bag Pack of 3 ($27.50) Help them get out all that ancient frustration (and give their siblings a break from torment).

2. Soft Seder Set in Reusable Pouch ($18) A seven-piece plush seder set for your toddler to play with, snuggle with, and drool on as they wish.

3. Passover Coloring Placemats with Crayons ($8.95) To help keep kids content, creative, and in one place.

Continue reading.

Kosher for Kids Games Websites for Passover

Want to keep your little ones occupied while learning all about Passover?  Torah Tots website has loads of online games and activities for children of all ages.

 

Passover Guide for Kids

Start off with a house. Minus the Chametz. Add Matzah, wine, family members and what do you get? A Passover Seder of course!

Passover begins the evening of Monday, March 25th.

Kids: YOU play the most important role! That’s right. Every year when we retell the story of our Freedom from Egypt, we begin with the children’s questions and the story is told as an answer!

We sit down to a festive meal and do lots of different things that aren’t generally done – all to make you kids excited and curious about this wonderful Holiday!

So be prepared! Read the complete story of Passover, follow the How-To guide, surprise your family with tons of cool facts, and ask lots and lots of questions!