When my children were babies, they would often interact with someone not present in the room. They would look at one spot and giggle and coo like someone was tickling them or making funny faces. When my youngest was old enough to talk, I asked him,

“Do the angels talk to you?”

“Yes,” he said.

“What do they say?” I asked.

He leaned in and whispered in my ear, “God Yuves Me.”

I believe spirituality comes naturally to children. They are quick to believe in things that aren’t seen. This became very evident when reading a little book titled “Angels at My Door”. It was written and illustrated by children who have been directly impacted by AIDS. Deborah Jung, co-author and founder of “Kids Who Care” a non-profit theatre group, says that children, regardless of circumstances, believe in angels. “There was no question in their minds that angels exist” says Jung. “Some of the kids focused on a traditional, heavenly kind of angel, but most of them shared or wrote about angels with feet and flesh — people in their lives who provided them with inspiration, help and hope.”

Taylor was fifteen when she wrote the following:

“My Angel. She’s fighting a battle. She is very pretty with her charcoal black hair and her honey brown eyes. She has the most beautiful caramel color skin I have ever seen. She is my Angel and she is going to win this battle.”

It is my prayer that Taylor will sustain her faith in angels. Unfortunately, as we get older, it becomes increasingly difficult to recognize the angels in our midst. They get covered up by the 6 o’clock news or blocked by our personal hurts and disappointments. Still, I think that we as parents, can help our children maintain a spiritual perspective by taking some steps to maintain this important connection.

Pray
I think it starts here – with prayer. In addition, I don’t think prayer should be limited to mealtimes and bedtimes. When your child is sad or angry, sit down and say a prayer together. Encourage your child to participate in the prayer and let them know that prayer is a great way to have a conversation with God.

Find a Community
Even if you’re not big on organized religion, I believe there is value in participating in fellowship with other like-minded people. In addition, your child can interact with other individuals and allow their influence to further shape spiritual understanding. That way, you are not the only one defining spirituality for your children.

Practice What You Preach
This seems like an obvious one. However, I think parents need to be very intentional about how their actions support their beliefs. Bottom line, kids are going to put more stock in how you behave versus what you say. If you emphasize the importance of being compassionate to others, let your children witness and participate in small acts of kindness. Whether it is a meal for the homeless or flowers to an elderly neighbor, these thoughtful gestures will help shape their character.

Find the Teachable Moments
I read a recent article on this subject and was impressed with the idea of having a puppet show serve as a method to teach spirituality to our kids (Miller, 2007). In our house, we play something called the “Manner Game” in our home. Using stuffed animals as puppets, we make up a scene in which manners are not being properly used. For example, Blue Bear does not share his ball with Grey Bunny. Grey Bunny is sad and hops away crying. After we discuss how we think God would want Blue Bear to behave, the scene is repeated with Blue Bear and Grey Bunny happily playing ball together. There are countless teachable moments. Coloring, reading, listening to music, going on a nature hunt and even watching movies or TV can all serve as opportunities for spiritual lessons. Recently, I had a long conversation with my son about Star Wars. We discussed “The Force” and how Luke Skywalker and Han Solo used it to defeat Evil and accomplish great things.

Although still not convinced, I would love to think that angels speak to our little ones. They remind us of what is important: Faith in the unseen – Faith in the notion of hope – Faith in the presence of angels.

“Each angel walked through the door with a grace that became a part of me. And so we lived together from that time on; each angel, each blessing, each grace. And healing began where I needed it most. In my soul.” (Angels at my Door, 2008)