To object to a religious song at a baby class?

[SecondTimer2019]

I take my baby (6mo) to a baby sensory class and this week the theme was 'rainbows'. At the end one of the songs played was 'Who put the colours in the rainbow?', which I remember from my childhood.

It asks who created all the amazing things in the world and ends by saying things like 'It can't be chance' and 'God made all of these'.

I'm not religious and think this environment should be secular. Obviously my baby can't understand the lyrics yet but I still feel it is inappropriate.

I'm thinking of contacting the organisers to let them know my feelings.

AIBU?

You are right ... I've just googled "Cauliflowers fluffy" lyrics .. and no God mentions .. great song though !!! It's now stuck in my head .. my DD is 22 and still remembers it !!!

BertrandRussell

It really does sound like you want to create a sanitised society. And protect children from potentially differing points of view.

People of faith will teach their children about their views of creation at home - atheists will teach theirs.
Ah. So no teaching about evolution outside the home either, I'd assume.

No I don’t. I just don’t want children to be singing that God is real and made the world and a non faith baby group.

I agree entirely with @Bertrand. Though the situation described in the OP would never happen in these parts, as it’s too multi-ethnic, and a sensory class organiser couldn’t assume many people would know the words to this ditty.

I’d never heard of it myself — Catholic by upbringing, , not originally from the UK. Is it from the school of ‘twee, semi-literate evangelical guitar pop’? DS comes home from school singing similar horrors from school assembly.

There will be bigger battles to fight than a 6 month old hearing about God making rainbows!

“ There will be bigger battles to fight than a 6 month old hearing about God making rainbows!”

Of course. Nobody is saying this is a huge thing. But it is a thing. And it’s the beginning of a pattern that carries on all through school.
I’m not talking about learning about religion, by the way. I’m talking about doing religion.

And they’ll love singing the other ones just as much.

Not the ones I’ve heard they won’t.

They can still sing Christmas carols. Some schools might choose not to but there’s nothing stopping them.

Your ultimately bringing your baby up in a Christian country, you’re baby will be exposed to it in lots of places! You can guide your baby also.

Tbh, God is the least of your worries: the spider who sat down beside Miss Muffet (scary/creepy), the cow jumping over the moon (child will misunderstand physics), wind the bobbin up (expectation of steady job in manufacturing). I think, particularly for a 6mo the OP is overthinking this

The OP says the song was played. There were no children singing it.

Atheist raising a child here.

I wouldn't worry about. Just teach your child as they grow that everyone has different beliefs and that's not what we believe. We're all different and that's fantastic! It keeps life interesting, and we are inclusive to ALL people.

Honestly, the biggest myths you'll need to help your child through is that adults aren't all knowing and most don't really have their shit together.

Just you wait, according to chuffing Disney, rainbows are made by the damned fairies.

My daughter is 2. I am SO over TinkerBell and the Fairies so I taught her "refraction" (just using a prism and a torch)
She kinda gets it. But she's two. It's parroting and "look I can make rainbows" 🌈 🤷🏻‍♀️

YY NotBatman, excellent post.

Maybe it was the only song they could think of that had rainbows in?

I’m as atheist as they come but still think the church toddler groups are the best in town. I can tolerate religious nonsense if it means DD has a lovely time and I get a coffee and piece of cake made my a kindly Christian matriarch all for a pound!

Can’t you just enjoy the kindness of a group being there for you and your baby?

Or set up your own one?

Absolutely no problem with Christian songs at church run groups of course. I’ve eaten plenty of Christian cake in my time!

And surely Sing a Rainbow is the first song about rainbows to come into your mind?

Not the ones I’ve heard they won’t

Funny. IME of assisting with primary drama, they do.

And they’re not anxious. It’s almost like there’s no correlation.

Yabu

Your baby won't be corrupted by religious songs. What she's taught at school will have far more of an impact, even then, she may have a strong enough opinion to make up her own mind.

DD's 12 and under religion on her school records it says "none". Her choice. Her dad and I are religious.

YANBU. Obviously it’s not a huge deal but I don’t think you Are being precious or ‘one of those parents’ or any of the other disparaging tags some have used for you.
I’m tired of ‘god’ being accepted as a matter of fact (literally perhaps) commonplace to be mouthed by children at school.
Fine for those who have developed a belief.

“ she may have a strong enough opinion to make up her own mind. ”
I hope it’s “will have a strong enough opinion” rather than “may”!
But constant drips of Christianity will most certainly make it harder!

Bertrand if only everyone developed strong opinions.

And they’re not anxious. It’s almost like there’s no correlation.

Kids and teens most certainly are more anxious today, that’s fact.

Anyone reading Caroline Criado Perez's stuff about the default male?

This is like Christianity being the default religion. Well, guess what, lots of people in the UK aren't Christian.

I'm aetheist and did baby sensory with DD (in a church hall, but it was just the hired venue, it was the big company that's presumably the same as the one OP went to). I wouldn't have cared her hearing the song - she was 9 months when we stopped, I think we were safe

But it would have discomfited me a little bit. Just introduces those little niggly "Oh... Am I not supposed to be here" thoughts.