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If you are at all familiar with the writings of Dr. Seuss, you recognize my take on his book title. If not, do yourself a favor and read it at the library, it will only take about five minutes and you will thank me for it.
Have you thought about the places your young adult will go when they leave home? Off to college is probably the answer swirling around in your head at the moment, but there is a lot more world out there than just college. For that matter, there is a lot more on a college campus than classrooms and libraries. How do you think your child will spend their time between classes, projects and studying? I do not ask this question to increase your level of stress or cause panic; my intention is quite the opposite. Consider the foundation you helped build for your child over the past 17-18 years. Whatever else they do, that foundation will support them in the end.
I promised earlier this year to weave into my musings a little more about faith and this is me keeping that promise. What has your child been taught about faith? All the national statistics tell us that participation in religious organizations is declining at a steady pace, but many of my clients attended Vacation Bible Schools in their younger years and volunteered as counselors in their high school years. If not VBS, their summers were spent on mission trips. How will they continue their personal forms of worship or spirituality in college? If the thought swirling around in your head now is, “huh, I hadn’t thought of that”, you are not alone.
Whether your young adult selected a college with a religious affiliation or religion was the last thing on their mind when choosing a college, they will be exposed to a myriad of faith beliefs. Whatever beliefs they eventually decide to adopt for themselves will have a lot to do with what they learned at home.
“Teach your children well,
Their father’s hell did slowly go by,
And feed them on your dreams
The one they picks, the one you’ll know by.
Don’t you ever ask them why, if they told you, you will cry,
So just look at them and sigh
And know they love you.” – Crosby, Stills & Nash
