Overt Indoctrination?

HappyHope

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I have a parenting funny I want to share but it might require a bit of background first.

1)So my hubby's mom drank until her liver quit and she passed away in her 30s.
2)My father-in-law drank until he got diabetes and neuropathy leading to his drunken suicide.
3) My grandfather got drunk and committed suicide when my dad was a kid.
4) My dad was an alcoholic and got shot up (5+ bullets removed)but survived and recovered.
5) My mom smoked until her lungs quit and she died in her 50s.
6) My little brother was into drugs and alcohol and committed suicide just shy of his 27th birthday.
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So I may have overstressed substance abuse education with my own kids.

My kids have not been raised around me and my husband's families. They do know our families' histories and my stance. I made sure of that.:thumbsup:

So, when big brother and his family came to visit one day, my then 7 year old caught my sister-in-law smoking behind our house.

My daughter was shocked to see her smoking and said, "Do you believe in THE SMOKE?"

My sister-in-law was amused and said, "Well yes, sweetie, I do smoke."

"Do you know you are gonna to DIE?"

"Well, we are all going to die, sweetie."

"Not me.":confused:
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I forgot this happened but recently learned this is a favorite family joke my big brother and sister-in-law tell people.:eek:

My bad.:p
 
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Pavel Mosko

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Well it sounds like things worked out for you. I seem to recall studying psychology that heavy handed fear approaches on this thing can often end up backfiring. That the people initially stay away from it more than other groups, but after a little time passes they are worse off than other groups, like they repressed the warning, or went into denial etc. But it's good for you things worked out.
 
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Rene Loup

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One person's idea of education is another person's idea of indoctrination.

I once watched a sermon by a preacher with a rather... Aggressive preaching style. He stressed the importance of raising and educating your child. If people snidely ask him, "Oh, so you're indoctrinating your child?" and in response, he would say, "Of course! If I don't indoctrinate my child, then SOMEONE ELSE WILL!"

Now, my mentor gave me advice when it comes to teaching the Bible with my own future children:

When raising a child with Biblical values, it's important to teach them critical thinking rather than have them parrot all of your values. By doing so, they will be better prepared for when their faith gets challenged in the real world. The most important thing to teach your kids is the reason for their faith by asking, "Why are you here?" The answer is simple: Jesus Christ.

Provide them an intellectual challenge rather than discouraging them from asking questions. When they ask questions you should be honest while keeping it age appropriate, maintain your integrity by admitting you don't know everything, and do NOT lose your temper with them. An example would be the story of Jonah and the whale. It is scientifically impossible for a man to remain in a large fish's digestive system for three days with limited oxygen. However, the answer to that sort of question is this: With God, all things are possible. It takes faith to accept the things that are not scientifically understandable at the time. Science itself is not infallible and is subject to change over time, so this is where faith comes in. Social science is a better way of proving the Bible correct as it supports the Biblical view of human nature very easily.

Ultimately, the most important documents for teaching are the four Gospels of the Bible. Use them to teach about the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Encourage them to read the Bible and to use critical thinking to come up with their own conclusions. Bible verses that seemingly contradict each other require the critical thinking skills to see the much larger picture of what the Bible is trying to say. Teach them about the hard and soft virtues for a more balanced view of God.
 
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