To foster a virtuous and harmonious family, we must nurture the faith of all its members, especially the young. Children, being innocent and untainted by negative influences, are particularly receptive to developing faith. This is a crucial step in preventing misfortune.
Neglecting this early cultivation and waiting until children have grown and accumulated karmic burdens before intervening is like waiting until after a theft to secure one’s belongings. Moreover, when individuals develop faith from a young age, it becomes deeply ingrained and powerful, providing the strength to resist negative influences and temptations.
How then do we cultivate faith in children?
First and foremost, parents must possess a genuine and unwavering faith themselves, radiating strength and conviction.
This faith must be evident to their children for them to emulate. Children naturally imitate their parents’ behavior and attitudes. If parents instruct their children to revere Heaven and respect Buddha while neglecting these principles themselves, their words will have little impact. Such an approach is like signposts at a crossroads, pointing in various directions while remaining stationary. Travelers following these signs might still lose their way; how much better it is to have a guide.
If parents urge their children to believe in Heaven and Buddha without demonstrating genuine faith themselves, how can they expect their children to avoid misconceptions and misguided beliefs?
Many people resort to threats when their children cry, saying, “Stop crying, or the ‘Boogeyman’ will get you!”
Such threats harm children’s imagination. The term “Boogeyman” instills fear and creates a distorted image of a cruel and monstrous being that preys on children. This is the first step towards superstition that parents inadvertently introduce to their children.
Children are often curious and defiant. While they may obey their parents outwardly, they might disobey in secret. Instead of threatening with the “Boogeyman,” how much better it would be for parents to say:
“Look up at the vast blue sky. Above it resides the all-seeing Heaven. He created the heavens, the earth, the sun, the moon, the stars, humans, animals, plants, and everything else. His eyes are very bright; He sees everything we do. He rewards good deeds and punishes bad deeds” (*1).
Such guidance will instill a lasting sense of awe and reverence in children. They will refrain from wrongdoing, whether in the presence of their parents or not, for they will think, “Even if my parents don’t see, Heaven sees all.”
Is this not an effective way to cultivate faith in children? Growing up with reverence for the Creator and imbued with virtuous principles, they will naturally uphold both human morality and spiritual responsibility.
What could be more precious than that?
(*1) Although children may not fully grasp the concepts of right and wrong, good and evil, they will understand that whatever their parents forbid is something they should not do.
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