My dad just sent me this photo from Tommy's baptism, and I love it.
Did you know that I wasn't baptized until I was 21? My parents made the choice to not baptize any of their children, instead letting them grow up and make their own choices. And when I chose this, they supported me fully, buying me a Bible and taking me out to lunch afterward.
Shane and I struggled with how to approach this with our children. He was baptized as a baby. Ultimately, we made the choice to baptize them as babies, but to let them know that as they grow, the choice they make is theirs. Of course, we have our church, and we will take them to our church, but should Tommy choose to become Amish and Luke convert to Judaism, we'll hold their faiths close in our hearts and hands.
Did you know that I wasn't baptized until I was 21? My parents made the choice to not baptize any of their children, instead letting them grow up and make their own choices. And when I chose this, they supported me fully, buying me a Bible and taking me out to lunch afterward.
Shane and I struggled with how to approach this with our children. He was baptized as a baby. Ultimately, we made the choice to baptize them as babies, but to let them know that as they grow, the choice they make is theirs. Of course, we have our church, and we will take them to our church, but should Tommy choose to become Amish and Luke convert to Judaism, we'll hold their faiths close in our hearts and hands.
17 comments:
You are such a great parent! Have a great new year!
That is such an amazing picture. They joy on your faces is so beautiful.
What a perfect moment to capture!
great thoughts on baptism, and that photo is perfect. :)
Such a beautiful moment!
Nell
PS
LOVE, love, love the hair!
LOVE this picture. and your hair looks amazing.
i was baptized as a baby, but chose to be baptized in our church at the age of 25. i think you're right that it is so important to expose them to your beliefs without smothering them & requiring something they don't feel. love trumps here and shows them so much more.
I was baptized as a baby and grew up going to church with my dad (but not my mom, she didn't go except at Christmas or if we were in a play or something).
On the other hand, DH's parents decided to "let him choose" but didn't expose him to ANY religions. What choice is that? Weird.
Anyway, I still go to the same church when I'm home, and Jason doesn't go with me except at Christmas.
The point of that oversharing was to say that I think your idea is awesome. :)
Lovely. I love the picture of Tommy and your love and support of the boys.
I was baptized as a baby and thought of having my children baptized as infants. As an adult, I've decided that I wanted to be re-baptized as a beleiver. So this past year, my husband, oldest daughter (aged 10) and I were all baptized together. It meant a lot to my growing up that I was baptized. It meant even more when my husband and I were baptized together as adults.
Our church celebrated baby "dedications" which are very similar to infant baptizism, so we chose to do that with our two younger children.
SO beautiful! and your hair looks HAWT!
i love your take on religion - ken and i were both brought up very conservative & strict, and we both still struggle with going to church. we have our beliefs, but we tend to just keep them to ourselves.
i would love to get back into a loving, non-judgmental church this year - at least for emma's sake.
anyway, like how i made this all about me? you guys are a-1 parents, yo.
i love how he looks so peaceful and content....as do you!
Love that face!
And choice, and ownership over your choices are what makes faith meaningful.
I love that photo too! And I love this post.
My husband and I don't want our children to be baptized until they can make the choice for themselves, but we struggle because our church believes in baby baptisms.
Your post makes me realize that we aren't necessarily making the choice for them - they ultimately get their choice.
The picture is beautiful.
If one went Amish and the other Jewish, they would totally fit in with my Amish/Jewish clan. (For real...we are that....family reunions are fantastic....)
I just hope they never decide sugar is evil, for your sake. :)
Your parents did a great job, as are you.
Steph
The photo is beautiful. You and Shane are beautiful parents...
Amazing picture! I don't know if you noticed, but the expression on both your face and Tommy's face is identical...and you have the exact same chin! Love it.
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