“The partners need to take time to really listen to each other and develop a united strategy so that they can be clear with themselves, their children and extended family about their family’s chosen religious pathway,” Katz Miller says.
While sweeping the discussion under the rug might seem easier, in the long run it can lead to complications and problems. Katz Miller said that not talking with kids about religion leaves them feeling frustrated. She grew up with little information about her mother’s Christian religion. She and her husband have educated their kids about both Judaism and Christianity. Her teenage children have a better understanding of both religions and often end up explaining things to their peers.
“When both parents can share their spiritual journeys and religious rituals with the children, the child is enriched with an understanding that there is more than one way of looking at the world and with a strong sense of connection to both sides of their heritage,” Katz Miller says. “Ideally, all children in America should learn about Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism [and] Hinduism. But, I think it’s particularly important for a child to be deeply educated in the religions represented in his or her family tree.”