When my son asked me where babies come from, I hesitated only for a second and proceeded to tell him exactly how a baby grows in the womb and is born. He hasn’t yet asked how babies are made, but when the time comes I will happily provide him with the information. I believe it’s better for my children to get the correct information from me rather than an incorrect story from someone else.

But when my children began to ask questions about God, and religion, I found myself stumbling. Answering, “What is God, Mama?” has been much more difficult for me than answering questions about babies.

We’re a secular household — we don’t go to church. My husband and I were both raised Catholic, but not very seriously. Over time, I’ve come to see myself as spiritual and find myself closest to anything God-like when I’m in nature. My husband is a certified agnostic.

The question of religion and how to teach it has baffled us. 

Ideally, I’d like to expose our children to all religions. As I don’t feel strongly about any specific faith, I feel it would be presumptuous to direct them to one particular religion or church. I truly believe that down the road, should they decide to follow a religion, they should choose what speaks to them most.

But in the meantime, how do I answer these big questions?!

I’m tempted to do what Reza Aslan does with his family — read a little bit about different religions each week and then incorporate those teachings into our daily lives. There is a difference between guiding your children to be good, moral, critical-thinking people versus encouraging them to believe in a certain way.

This is the crux of many parenting decisions. Do we want our children to do something because it is right, or do we want them to do something because it is what we believe? What level of control should we have in their lives? 

I don’t profess to have the perfect explanation for my children’s questions about God and religion, but on my quest for answers I came across a few books that seem to present an unbiased view that might be of interest:

“Relax, It’s Just God: How and Why to Talk to Your Kids About Religion When You’re Not Religious” by Wendy Thomas Russell

Journalist and author Wendy Thomas Russell shares data and offers gentle but straightforward advice to atheists, agnostics, humanists, and open-minded believers. She aims to help parents figure out how to talk to their kids about God, spirituality, and organized religion. This title is great for promoting religious literacy and understanding in families and supporting kids as they explore religion on their own.

“The Kids Book of World Religions” by Jennifer Glossop

“What Do You Believe?” by DK

There’s nothing like a classic DK book to share information with young ones! This title introduces the world’s main faiths, including their histories, beliefs, scriptures, places of worship — and even certain foods and clothing particular to various religions. This book is helpful for promoting understanding, tolerance, and respect for others, whatever they believe.

“The Belief Book” by David G. McAfee

“Buddha at Bedtime” by Dharmachari Nagaraja

Perhaps some of these books will help provide answers to not only your little ones but to you as well. Because, as far as I know, there is no definitive manual on parenting!