Do you discuss the story of Jesus etc to your DC even if you aren't religious in the slightest?

[ilikeyoursleeves]

My DS is only one but I wanted to get a Xmas book for him and I liked the look of a nativity one, a touch and feely one, I thought it would be nice for him to look at all the animals and the baby Jesus etc and it's never too early to learn the real reason of Christmas! I am not religious in the slightest though so DH said 'why did you buy that, you don't even believe in any of it!'. Fair enough but I don't want DS growing up thinking Christmas is just about Santa and presents. I plan on telling him about Jesus etc when he gets older but it feels a bit hypocritical given I don't believe in it.

What do you all do re talking about Christmas etc? Just interested!

we've spoken a bit about it because there is a big nativity scene in town.
ds1 was quite mesmerisex by it, he is almost 4 and I just told him that it was the baby jesus who was born at christmas and etc etc

didn't go into too much of the religion just yet

I discuss Bible stories with DS just like any other stories.

i have told him it as a story and why christmas celebrations happen.

DS hasn't asked, so I haven't told him that the Nativity is hardly a factual account discussed any of it with him.

Yes. If a child doesn't grow up with a good understanding of Judeo-Christian mythology then he or she is going to be at a loss in understanding most of Western European art and culture, TBH. I've tended to rely on the nativity plays at nursery so far, rather than specifically reading stories.

They will be presented as stories, though. From my POV, the festival that happens around this time of year is about midwinter and renewal and families and so forth, and Christmas and its associated mythology is one manifestation of that.

Yes.I'm not at all religious but I think that it's important that DD understands the significance of Easter, Christmas etc.

She has just turned three. Last year I got a book about the Nativity from the library which she loved! I have got another one this year and she is really into it and we seem to have endless conversations about "baby Jesus" She also loves seeing the nativity scene in town.

We have been to a few christenings this year and DD is desperate to be christened and keeps asking to go to church. I won't get her christened (she can make a decision on that when she's older!) but I think I will take her to church after Christmas so she can see what it's all about.

Hmm

Well, I have discussed nothing of a religious nature with my son, and he piped up the other day

"Jesus loves us and wants us to go to church. The assembly man said."

He goes to a SUPPOSEDLY NON RELIGIOUS STATE SCHOOL!!!

I am really really angry and I don't know how to approach it with the school. I don't want to withdraw him from religious education because I think it's importatant to be EDUCATED about RELIGION - but it seems the school's idea of educating children about religion is to turn the whole thing over to the local church's vicar, which is HARDLY what I call religious education. We are 17 miles from Leicester city centre, and Diwali hasn't even bbeen mentioned. I'm outraged.

Hmm, I haven't yet talked about it to dd (2.6) but someone has as she mentioned "baby Jesus" to me the other day. Extansive questioning hasn't yet revealed who it was but I really hope that it was all presened as a story rather than fact.

I intend to take a similar approach to PortandStilton for similar reasons.

yes, I have and I do. we talk about the story and what it means, and whether she thinks it is true or not, and about what it means to people.
dd1 is five and goes to a CofE school. dh and I are both atheists.

No, and was frankly very relieved when the school's 'nativity' play turned out to be all snowflakes and reindeer and not a baby Jesus in sight. He's only 5. Plenty of time yet for the prevailing Judeo-Christian myths to catch with him still.

Christmas is about more than presents and Santa. It's about family, and generosity, and love of humanity. But in our house, it's not about Christianity.

I didn't really with my DD - once they are in school they get plenty of exposure to the story.

If you don't believe in it, its actually pretty darned hard to explain !

Hmm.

Have raised the subject of "The story about Jesus, and some people believe it's true" with Ds1. His response was "Jesus is real and we have to love him"

GAhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I have been trying to get this child not to eat with his fingers for 3.5 years, and he still does, how the HELL did the Jesus myth sink in so blardy fast!

I'm not religious and I just told DS it's a story, like any other story (Jack and the Beanstalk etc.) but that some people believe it's real and they have a right to believe that blah blah blah just like we have a right not to believe it, and he can choose whether to believe it or not. He goes to a CofE school so I feel I have to balance out all the Christian influence he gets from there!

We've had discussions about St.Nicholas too though, and he was a real man after all, just like Jesus did exist (regardless of whether or not he was actually born on the 25tth dec or was actually the son of God, if God does indeed exist) so I don't think there is any harm in children knowing these stories regardless of their religious beliefs...

lol coldtits

There is no point trying to explain any of it to dd1 as we always get stuck on the bit where Jesus died. She must have had wax in her ears when she was being told that story,

"No mummy Jesus died on the grass. What would he be on a cross for?"

We don't do superstition in our house, but we do all the trappings of Christmas. It's just a story.

While we are not religious, I do want my children to grow up informed and aware of different beliefs etc. So, around the time of all the major festivals (including talking about Ramadam and Eid, Hannukah, Easter, Spanish festival of the Dead, summer and winter solstice etc etc) we talk about them in a "some people believe" way and "for many people this is really important and this is why they do X, Y, Z" I do not want to tell my children what to believe but I do want them to respect and understand the importance these festivals are for other people. We celebrate our own hybrid non religious but still celebratory Christmas/Winter festival thingie.
I just hope our slightly unconventional approach will not confuse them too much!

As below will be teaching the dc about many religions,their stories,festivals etc so one day they can pick one or none. Have read the story and will take them to the church carol service Christmas Eve

As we aren't particularly religious I don't want the dc growing up thinking Christmas is just about what they get but about why it means so much to Christians and what we can take from it iykwim. I worry that my lot will grow up just thinking it's just a time to receive for no actual reason ie a mass consumerfest.

As a result Christmas to us is about celebrating family and friends, food, the seasons, thinking of others etc. They are still quite young though(,5,5 &4) and if you saw the bickering going on in my house this week,let's just say it's a work in progress.

I have no idea if this is the right thing to do but as a non religious family I guess we can pretty much do what we like,it suits us

I do think kids pick cover the Christmas story in quite a lot of detail at school/pre-school anyway.DD has renamed herself Mary and Annabel Jesus. Dp got told off last night for not putting Jesus properly with the correct amount of reverence in the manger(doll's cot) ie he slung her in after lights were out not realising. We do sometimes feel out of our depth re the whole religion thing

This mornign, DS told me that beleving in Jesus was like beleiving in Cindrella. This srtuck me as being a procound insight