Sometimes, when the issue comes up that my daughters are not baptized, very curious conversations arise. We are in times of communions, and a few weeks ago I was part of one of those talks that I would like to share. To the question of, "And when they want to do communion, what?" I replied that I imagined that my daughters would not want to take communion.
So the example was that of a case of a boy or girl who had "led" so much in making communion that his parents had "had no choice" but to give in. I, ojiplática, did not give credit to parents who, in principle, will not have baptized their son for certain convictions (or at least for not following some of the reasons that lead to baptizing babies), suddenly, because at Child feels like it, baptize him and let him receive communion.
If it had been that the child has seen the light, that somehow (incomprehensible to me especially at those ages) would have found the Christian faith, then I could still understand something. But no, the point was that as his friends made communion and had so many gifts, he also wanted.
The argument-excuse of the parents was that they had tried everything so that the child gave up the idea of taking communion: they gave him gifts, even the most expensive that the child wanted (a console if I remember correctly), even the trip to EuroDisney. And not with those.
Personally, I am a little scared to think what this child should feel when living this whole process: they offer him everything, he wants more, and he gets it. In addition, he gets it at the expense of ideology (or education, or beliefs) that parents are supposed to have tried to live in their family. You will not be afraid to keep asking without knowing the limit of your wishes.
It also seems to me a lack of respect for families that, by religious conviction, order their children to commune and that this act be shared with other people who are in the ceremony for non-religious reasons.
Why I think my daughters won't try to convince us to commune
The only thing I could tell the friend who was telling me this case is that my daughters would not take communion while they were little. Because we thought (and would make him understand) that it is an act of faith that we do not share. If in the future, when you have the capacity to understand and decide in relation to religion (Christian, Buddhist or Islamist ...) you consider yourself close to one of them, go ahead.
But these hypotheses are framed in an unlikely future in which we would not have established a solid basis so that this scene (which seems surreal to me) is repeated in our house. So that I hope that our daughters simply do not tell us that they want to receive communion because their friends do and because they want gifts or the communion suit.
With the oldest of four years, we have already talked about what religions are, about Christianity, about concepts such as faith, goodness, charity, respect ..., most of which have nothing to do with religion directly.
Also in the framework of an education that we try not to rely on material, free gifts, giving and giving even before they ask for anything. We try to understand that they are special for us but not unique, that they are fortunate because there are many children with a thousand needs, that the effort is important to achieve their desires, and that the most precious desires have nothing to do with the material.
If later, after a while, when school friends make communion, my daughters ask me to commune, I would not understand that request. Recently we have experienced a similar situation, before the christening of the cousin, we explained that they are not baptized and wanted to know more about the subject: why not, why not now, why in the church ...
The truth is that the elder, who is the one who asked, did not have too many problems in understanding the subject (more or less, because of Jesus on the cross is difficult ...), although I imagine that he will have many doubts and that similar conversations will continue to arise in our day to day.
Why the other children go to religion, why the grandmother goes to Mass, what is to pray, what is God ... all these questions have already arisen, do not say that you should not go deep with a four-year-old girl ...
In short, in the future I would perfectly understand that they ask me why they do not make communion, since there will still be much to explain, and we will continue to do so. But in no case would you let me convince you to receive communion in the unlikely event that they wanted to do it.
Especially for the respect that the celebration of a religious sacrament deserves me, and the convictions that should be behind it, and that listening to cases such as that of the child who convinces his parents to take communion, I think they are not always present at that ceremony, dyeing, just like weddings or baptisms, by empty conventions and ostentation.
Photos | Ana_Rey and anieto2k on Flickr-CC
In Babies and more | Children trust science more than religion, why baptize the baby?
