Parenting As A Spiritual Task & Responsibility

By Sheima Salam Sumer

Praise be to God, I’m the mother of two sweet children, aged 15 and 12. I see parenting as a duty to God, a duty for which I’ll be questioned about in the next life. The most important job of a parent is to raise believers in God who do good and refrain from evil.

When my children were younger, I would use storytelling to teach them about past religious teachers as well as moral values. I believe in appealing to the hearts of children in order to bring out their natural belief and enthusiasm about God. Stories are great ways to teach and touch hearts.

The most effective way for a parent to impart spiritual values to their kids is by example. I made sure that my kids saw me pray and do good deeds. I read spiritual books myself and read such books to my children.

I believe that the next world is forever and that this world is temporary and, therefore, less important than the next life. I taught this value to my children. I do believe in learning secular knowledge and enjoying this life within limits. But I made sure that my children knew their priorities: God, then family, then education.

To me, children can be a source of blessings in this life and the next. When we die, our children’s prayers for us will benefit us. In the next life, we will be recognized for raising our children well.

Children are gifts from God. Raising them with spiritual consciousness is our way of thanking God for them. By raising our kids with spiritual consciousness, we are sending people into the world who will do good and bring light to others.

Raising spiritually aware children is not only a responsibility we owe to our Creator. It’s also a right of our children. Our kids need to know the purpose of why we are alive: to serve and honor God. If we don’t raise our children with spiritual consciousness, we are depriving them of knowing the meaning of life.

(The author is a counselor and has written widely on spiritual living)