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Original poster

Christian comments/opinion - DS nursery has put up a dreamcatcher - should I freak out?

55 replies

saffymum · 02/04/2007 11:55

HI, I am a Christian and I am very careful about new age and spiritual things that could affect me and my family. I have just seen a massive new dreamcatcher in the children's nursery window of the sleeping room. I don't want to seem over the top or narrow minded but I don't think I want something that 'catches' or 'attracts' anything near my child. I have read up on them being Native American and for the purposes of attracting good dreams and deflecting bad ones. But really in my book the only power I want near my child is the power of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit to interferre with my son. Should I ask for it to be removed and how do I do it without coming across as a crazy narrow minded christian? Advice appreciated and please from a christian perspective, I really don't want an argument between other faiths/non believers about whether or not this is something to be concerned about.

OP posts:

colditz · 04/04/2007 16:45

Well, it's not your son's sleeping room, it's a joint one, and while I believe that you should have the right to surround him with the religious objects of your choice, that applies to other people too. the only way you could reasonably get him away from the dream catcher is to remove him, not the dream catcher.

TBH, the only thing complaining about it is going to achieve is you sounding like a narrow minded person, they are never going to listen to a word you say again on almost any subject, reasonable or not.

Cazee · 04/04/2007 16:55

For a Chistian the idea that it is a source of comfort is not good, as it is based on a belief that there are other powers beyond God. I want my children to turn to God for comfort, not to any other force or superstition (sp?). I agree that we can't, and shouldn't want to, impose our beliefs on others, but it might be nice to say, in a friendly way, that a dream catcher makes you feel uneasy. Don't demand it is taken down, just let them know how you feel. However, I agree that you need to be prepared to look odd, but that is the price for being a Christian in a secular world! At least they are only raising thair eyebrows at us, not feeding us to the lions!

chocolateface · 04/04/2007 17:08

It's just an object, it doesn't actually do anything. The nursery probably just view it as decorative. Can't you?

MerryMarigold · 04/04/2007 17:23

I agree with most of the posters here. It is what YOU believe and teach your child every day for the rest of his childhood which is what matters, not exposure to a few elements of other religions. My bil and sil are very committed, evangelical christians, and they have a large wooden buddha on show in their house! personally, i do find it a bit weird, but i don't think it 'waters down' their belief. it is a souvenir from their holidays, a lovely memory of a trip and a carving that they find beautiful - that's what it means to them. they don't worship it, it is just an ornament. i wouldn't worry about the dreamcatcher at all (or halloween).

TooTicky · 04/04/2007 17:34

But it is a GOOD thing, with the sole purpose of making people happier. Christian or not, it is a positive idea put there for a positive reason. I'm sorry, but you are reminding me of the fanatical Jehovah's Witness woman who fell in the street and wouldn't allow anybody to help her because they were not Jehovah's Witnesses. It is a worrying attitude.

colditz · 04/04/2007 17:37

If you say you feel uneasy about it, they may feel obliged to take it down.

So all the children whose parents did like it being there, and did believe in it, get their beliefs trampled on.

snipersmum · 04/04/2007 17:39

I agree with RolyMo - just pray for your child's spiritual protection every day when they go to nursery and claim that God is sovereign in their life. Halloween is a whole big rabbit hole to go down - I got a bit upset when our nursery celebrated it for a month before the event and sent my DS2 home in a devil hat he had been 'helped' to make(he was 15 months), but I agree with most of the posters here that how you tackle something like that or the dream catcher will have more of an impact than the actual thing itself.

Blandmum · 04/04/2007 17:43

wot custy says. If you don't think they are real, and I would think that as a practicing Christian you would not, then they are just bits of wood and string.

DimpledThighs · 04/04/2007 17:45

I am an atheist - was involved in a preschool for a long time. If a parent came to me with a request like this I would listen to it and respect it but you would come across as a 'crazy narrow minded christain' - sorry.

mousiemousie · 04/04/2007 17:58

Unless this is a faith nursery I think there is nothing to be gained from obsessing about this

PeachyChocolateEClair · 04/04/2007 18:00

Do none of the faith schools near you have a nursery? DS3 attends a Faith Nursery, they don't do Halloween (but they do have to do other religions- they did chinese New Year for example)

fortyplus · 04/04/2007 18:15

Dreamcatchers are a benign idea - I'm an atheist but your faith should be strong enough to allow you to accept ideas and beliefs from other faiths without stressing about it.

Do you intend to march in to Nursery and demand that all talk of Father Christmas is banned?

roseylea · 04/04/2007 18:16

Well I grew up in a house full of Tikis (Maori fertiliy charms) and lucky Irish lepricauns (sp????) and all manner of other superstitious tat that family and friends gave us! We are all christians. And IMO it would have been stupid, rude and arrogant not to accept those gifts.

Relax and let it be, I say. Let your light shine as a christian by who you are, how you treat your dcs and other people, the good that you do and not the stuff that you disagree with. After all, that's what is going to make a real difference in the world.

"By this shall all people know that you are my disciples - by the love you have for each other".

Just my take on it anyway

fortyplus · 04/04/2007 18:18

That's a lovely sentiment

raspberryberet · 04/04/2007 18:24

What a lovely post, rosylea.

roseylea · 04/04/2007 18:59

awwww gee shucks, thanks guys!

DimpledThighs · 04/04/2007 19:04

yeah- rosylea said it so much better than I did - go with her!

Christie · 04/04/2007 19:38

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

lapsedrunner · 04/04/2007 19:40

There are more important things in life than worrying about........

DominiConnor · 04/04/2007 19:44

The implication of saffymum's post is that she believes the "dream catcher" has power.

That's not a Christian position at all.

fredip71 · 04/04/2007 21:56

Where is Saffymum anyway???

Mamalennon · 04/04/2007 22:09

A dream-catcher is a beautiful object and will, in no way harm your child.

bloss · 05/04/2007 10:03

Message withdrawn

DominiConnor · 05/04/2007 10:25

I see your point that what each Christians chooses to believe can depart from doctrine quite dramatically.

bloss · 06/04/2007 07:18

Message withdrawn

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