Thursday, June 10, 2010

Fostering Vocations

My 7 year old daughter Sonja is always reading the Bible and about the lives of Saints. She's also been talking about becoming a nun when she grows up. Now I know that she's only 7 and any true calling from God should take time and prayerful discernment, but this made me think. What can we do as parents to support and encourage our children's "true" vocation, no matter what it is? We all have our hopes and dreams about what we would like our children to become but how do we make sure we don't impeed God's work?

Your thoughts?

1 comment:

  1. This is such a though provoking topic. I remember wanting to be an ice skater and then a dancer and a teacher. I always wanted to be a mom of lots of children. Here I am a homeschooling mom of 5 wonderful children, who loves to dance.
    I think that children "dream of becoming something" and learn about what is involved with being that....and most likely they really needed to learn from that.
    When my children were most afraid, they dreamed of saving the world. They sought out (and still do) those jobs or careers that get them learning skills or virtues, characteristics they they needed then or presently or maybe for the future.
    I want my children to know that they can be whatever they want to be but that they should be open to God's guidance. I pray that they will listen to God's calling and follow along His plan. I believe that there is a long journey of learning that brings us about to who we are to become. By following our interests, and not being afraid to try new things and meet new people, we slowly acquire the talents and abilities that we will need to follow God's plan for our lives. So while children will change their minds about what they might want "to be when they grow up" and do or where they might want to go.....about a million times, I laugh that I was ten when I knew I was going to be a teacher and a mom of lots of children. So in college when I decided NOT to be a teacher because of strongly disagreeing with the way colleges instruct teachers to teach and relate to children, where did that leave me? It was probably 12 years later that I knew I was supposed to homeschool my children. Thus, allowing my children to learn they way they need to and the way I believe children should be able to learn.
    I pray that my children will learn what they need to from every experience they have. That they will follow their hearts desire and not be afraid to do or be whatever that might be....and most of all I pray that their hearts desire will be exactly what God has planned for them and intends for them.
    ~Lynn

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