Teaching my son to stand up for his faith

3w ago1 min read

My 8 year old came home saying his friends made fun of him for saying grace before lunch at school. He asked if he should just stop praying out loud at lunch so people wouldn't laugh. My heart broke but I realized this was a teaching moment. We talked about how Jesus was also mocked, that standing firm in your beliefs is hard but worth it, and that real friends respect you even if you believe differently. I'm proud he's asking these questions now while he's young. Hopefully we're laying the groundwork for him to be bold about his faith as a teenager.

3 comments177 views

Comments(3)

RRick M.Regular3w ago

8 is such a vulnerable age for this stuff. Good on you for helping him work through it instead of just telling him to keep his head down. That's going to matter way more long term.

JJosh M.Regular3w ago

Kids can be rough about stuff like that. I'd make sure he knows you're proud of him for standing by what he believes, then maybe equip him with a simple response for his friends. Something matter-of-fact so it doesn't feel like a big deal to him or them.

SScott M.Regular3w ago

That's tough. My oldest is 9 and we're having similar conversations about being different. We focus on the fact that saying grace is something we believe in and not everyone will understand that, and that's okay. Have you talked to the school about it or is it just peer stuff?