Everyday Catechesis: The Real Lessons Our Kids Need to Learn
This week I am in the throes of transitioning into the school year. Just like that, summer is over and the girls are back in school! Looking back over the past few months, we had a variety of experiences, from amazing to downright difficult. The summer completely flew by (as it always does), and I’m grateful that I will have time for writing again.
This summer, we invested in the all-park season passes to Six Flags. As we drove in various directions to visit family across the country, we took time to stop at different Six Flags parks. To date, we have visited four different locations this year!
Though my husband and I are getting to the age where the twisting, turning, and flipping roller coasters are no longer tolerable to our delicate bodies, spending the day at a theme park is still a family favorite. There’s nothing quite like the exhaustion at the end of the day full of fun adventure. My girls also become so distracted by which ride they’re going to conquer next that they forget to fight with each other all together.
Theme parks attract all sorts of people. I can’t count the number of times that we witnessed behavior that is contrary to the way we choose to live our lives. We saw people cutting in lines, ignoring rules, disrespecting park employees, and just wandering around dropping f-bombs like confetti.
It’s not uncommon for us to have conversations with the girls about what it means to be a Christian in our post-Christian society. Discussing these things in our home is an important first step, but these lessons become tangible when we get to experience them first hand. Sometimes my mama bear instincts to protect my babies makes me want to simply grab my children and spend the rest of their childhood in a cave. I don’t want them to be hurt by the selfish masses in the world, and I definitely don’t want them to be lured into their sinful ways.
Yet that is not where God has called us. Instead of trying to protect my girls from the realities of the world we are living in, I choose to teach them the truth (and pray that it sinks in!). My girls are now old enough now to see (and hear) all sorts of behavior, like what we experienced at Six Flags. When we did, I opted to not pretend like it wasn’t happening. I looked my kids in the eyes and asked them if they saw what I saw. Not surprisingly, they did.
This gave me the opportunity to let a day at an amusement park be a day for real-world catechesis. Everyday is an opportunity for this, but certain days (like when I’m surrounded by thousands of hot, tired, and cranky tourists) the opportunities just fall into my lap.
During one of our Six Flags days, we approached the entrance of a line only to find that a chain was up indicating that the line was closed. The girls folded their arms and groaned while my husband and I started suggesting other ride possibilities. While we stood there, two teenage boys walked up and jumped over the closed sign without pausing or looking back. My daughters looked at me and said, “They did it. Can’t we?”
“No,” I responded gently, “The sign says closed and we are choosing to respect the rules.” I explained that this is a very real part of being a Christian. Other people live only to their own standards, but we strive to live up to Christs’. Sometimes this means missing out on a ride. Sometimes this means skipping a party or being left out of a particular friend group. Being a Christian means living a life that doesn’t look the same as everyone else’s.
Later in the day, we heard streams of foul language flowing from a group in line ahead of us. My girls’ eyes grew as they heard more bad words in one sentence than they typically hear in a year. I got to explain to my kids that sometimes people try to act “cool” or “mature” by using that language, but the reality is that their own vocabulary is inadequate to express themselves fully.
Throughout our visits we encountered grouchy, disgruntled visitors who made their displeasure known to those around them. Things like waiting in line, the weather, and general proximity to other human beings seemed to be enough to set them off. My girls would ask why he or she was so angry, and I would talk about patience and peace, two of the fruits of the spirit.
In order for it to really sink in and be transformative, catechizing our kids cannot be restricted to an hour a week of religious education at church. Everyday is an opportunity to teach our kids something about the faith, even if it’s something as simple as sharing a moment from your prayer time from that day. For me, when we encounter behavior and experiences that are blatantly of this world, I jump at the chance to illustrate tangibly what it looks like to live our faith, not just on Sundays, but everyday, everywhere. Even at a theme park.
Copyright 2024 Maria Riley
Cover and Coaster Image: Canva
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