Ms.Nicey-Nice

I am primarily a singer, but my husband is a Luthier and the son of a band teacher, so we have a lot of instruments! We have a variety of guitars and ukuleles (4 of each), an acoustic bass, a cello, a couple of violins, a banjo, a mountain dulcimer, a clarinet, a saxophone, a xylophone, an electric piano, a smattering of hand drums and auxiliary percussion goodies (tambourines, shakers, cowbell, etc.) a child-sized piano, and an autoharp. I'm probably leaving something out. My husband can at least get a decent sound out of everything we own. I can get decent sounds out of guitars, ukuleles, bass, drums, pianos, the dulcimer, and auxiliary percussion. Our daughter (nearly 3 years old) mostly only gets decent sounds out of the keyboards and things that can be struck with hands, sticks, or mallets, but we let her experiment with everything. I don't have photos of everything, but here's one wall in the family room in our basement:

I've been pondering this a bit, because it's been a while since I've really identified as "Pagan", and I was thinking that while my own sense of spirituality is earth-based and pantheistic, I don't really do any rituals, per se. The more I thought about it, though, I think I just don't think about it, because the "rituals" I do are just a normal part of life for me. Things like blessing the seeds we plant and talking to my daughter about "sprinkling them with love". Thanking the plants in our garden for the vegetables they provide us. Harvesting herbs, the process of drying them, bundling sage for smudging, and explaining to my daughter the spiritual aspects of each of the herbs.

I think you have an important point there, whether it's a point I particularly like, or not. At the same time, I think there's a difference between having respect for and tolerance of his beliefs, and having respect for and tolerance of the way he responds to the beliefs of others. "Daddy does not believe in god or heaven" is a bit different than "Anyone who believes in god or heaven is a mindless sheep who can't think for their self and perpetuates utter nonsense." Although, I suppose that is also a belief... So, hrm. I guess what we need to get on the same page with is whether or not we agree that we'd like to raise kids who are tolerant and respectful of the beliefs of others, and if not, well then, that's a bridge, now isn't it? Hey Br. Devon, any chance I could get you to move this to the parenting forum, now that there is one?

I had the pleasure of starting my day watching this with a toddler in my lap and a cup of coffee in my hand and wanted to share the joy with the rest of you.

Thank you Br. Devon, I obviously agree. As Josh said, Atheists can be as challenging as Religious fanatics in their "I am right and this is the only right answer" position. He has become a much more staunch non-believer in the last couple of years, which has been interesting to watch unfold. Our daughter has attended church on a few occasions (weddings, funerals, a baptism, Christmas, and just a regular ol' service when she spent a weekend with my parents), and mostly she enjoys the music.

Oh, we've discussed it at great lengths, we're simply finding it challenging to get on the same page. It's definitely something that needs to be discussed further until we can find a better middle ground, because I tend to find his responses disrespectful and intolerant, and if there is one thing I don't tolerate, it is intolerance. Overall, my mother is respectful. Christianity is simply ingrained in her and her manners of speech, so, for example, if I'm discussing something with her that I'm confused about or troubled by, her response will typically include something about "God's plan" which I mentally just reframe in the terms that make more sense to me, but which leave my daughter wondering who this God guy is. I don't necessarily see that as stepping on our toes, rather I embrace it as an opportunity to discuss these concepts and explain the different manifestations of what "God" could be. Thankfully, in terms of religious rites, we're on exactly the same page. Heh, well until such hypothetical time that our child(ren) would decide to become baptized or participate in some other religious ceremony.

If this is not the appropriate forum for this topic, please move as appropriate. I am curious to hear about the experiences of others who co-parent with someone whose beliefs (or non-beliefs) differ from your own, and how you go about navigating that with your children. My husband is solidly atheist and I am solidly (lol) agnostic. We both had Lutheran upbringings, and all of our parents are Christian. My parents are...particularly Christian, in that it permeates a lot of their daily interactions. Our daughter is nearing three years old, and since my mom watches her two afternoons a week, she is starting to pick up on some of the Jesus/God/Heaven references. My response is to explain that many people believe many different things, and that Grandma believes that there is a Jesus and a God and a Heaven, and to give basic details about what those things mean. Additionally I explain that some people aren't really sure (like mommy) and some people do not believe in any such thing (like Daddy) and many people believe all sorts of other variations. Which, I feel, is an accurate and honest and age appropriate answer. My husband's response is typically something like "It's all a bunch of made up stories and it's all pretty ridiculous." I find this problematic, because I hope to raise humans (we additionally have a son on the way) who can be respectful of the beliefs of others even when they do not share them. But enough about me, yes? Those of you in similar situations, how do you navigate them? How do you encourage your children to explore concepts of religion and spirituality to arrive at what feels best for them, while not trying to sway them too hard one way or another, and in such a way that they develop respect for the diversity in beliefs they are bound to encounter?

THANKS! Bitchin' tattoo, by the way... yeowser! Why, thank you!

I really enjoyed the movie. I've not seen the broadway version, but predict that I would like the broadway version live musical better, based on previous experiences with musicals made into movies.

Hubby and watched this the other weekend. While in the video store, I picked it up, and Mr. Nicey-Nice looked at me like "Are you serious? I don't think you'll like that." We went for it anyway. The joke WAS filthy, and certainly not the funniest joke I've ever heard. What was cool about it, though, was that all you needed was the start and end of the joke, and could do pretty much anything with the middle of it. It was interesting to see how the different comics put their own spin on it, but it did get a bit repetitive at points.

I'm going to have to watch it just to hear the joke! I hate feeling left out!

What an excellent review Joe, thank you!