Parents as Guides
Whatever spiritual path is chosen， a child s first teachers are
its parents. Educators from all traditions emphasize that the
child s true attitude toward the role of spirituality in life， as
well as her understanding of what it means to be a good and
moral person， will ultimately derive not from teachers but
from parents. If a parent has a serious， sincere， and humble
attitude towards the spiritual life， the child will grow up with
a respect and appreciation for religion， even if she does not
share the ~arents beliefs.
Thoma~ Armstrong stresses in The Radiant Child， \"The
important q~estion is not Should I send my child to church?
but What is my own attitude towards life s great mysteries
and how do I want to communicate with my child about these
things?\"1
We， too， were children once， and when we look back upon
our own upbringing it is not Sunday school we recall so much
as the daily， weekly， and yearly round of spirituality within
our families， which may have included daily prayers， attend-
ing services together， celebrating major holidays with com-
munity gatherings and special family customs， and having
intense discussions with our parents and friends about God
and heaven and ethical behavior. It is the philosophy we learn
at home that sets the stage for our future spiritual journey.
In the essays which begin this book， we encounter several
different approaches to sharing spirituality with children.
Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh calls every parent to be a bea-
con of peace， love， and light， reminding us of that very diffi-
cult dictum that without peace in our hearts and our homes，
we cannot hope to establish peace among nations. Just as
martial artists teach that the karate match is decided even
before the opponents bow to each other， Nhat Hanh teaches
us that the relationship between parent and child begins
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