I know what you mean about not being able to listen to the pastor. Practicing at home is a wonderful help in this situation. The Q & A section of this blog post talks a little about training a toddler to sit in church by practicing at home. And the Q & A post on Discipline 102 has more details on the step-by-step how to’s. Hope this helps!

We haven’t found an FIC, but we have found one that allows us to follow our convictions and believes in the father’s role as shepherd of his family. They do have children’s church, Sunday School, youth group, etc., but they don’t pressure us to participate.

It is tough if the kids feel like they’re missing out. Two thoughts come to mind:

1. We try to make home a fun place so they also have something others may not. Does that make sense?

2. We talk about our reasons for not participating, and try to word them in a positive manner rather than a condemning fashion. The only comparison I can think of for this is (and this may not be a good comparison, but it comes to mind) we don’t participate in Halloween for reasons of personal conviction, even though it may be fun at times, and we simply tell the kids why we don’t participate and what we can do instead as a family.

There’s a great thread on the forum of our sister site, Simply Charlotte Mason, dealing with some of these same issues. You might want to read it for ideas and encouragement.

We try to remain connected as much as we can, participating in those activities that do encourage age-integration and support our spiritual goals for our family. We try to cultivate family-to-family friendships and one-on-one relationships that give us opportunities to show that we’re not disgruntled or judgmental. We try to encourage other parents as much as possible, focusing on what we have in common rather than differences of conviction.

Interestingly, it’s been our experience that most people don’t ask Why. Of the small percentage that do ask, only a handful really want to understand our reasoning. Most are just mildly curious and want a quick answer. So when someone asks, “Why don’t your kids go to Sunday School?” a short reply like, “We teach them at home instead” usually satisfies them. Those who really want to understand where we’re coming from will use that answer as an opportunity to discuss further.

I have enjoyed your website.

God Bless,
Nili

Great blog! Very true. As long as you are teaching your children God’s Truths, you are gathering together in His Name.

In Christ’s Love, Tina