Child Development

Spiritual child development… Fess up Mom and Dad – don’t these words give you a warm and fuzzy feeling and put a trace of a smile on your face? The term spiritual child development often conjures up images of angels watching over and guiding innocent kids.

But things get interesting when an adult is asked to define the term “spiritual child development.” Ask 10 individuals for their definitions and you’re likely to get nine different answers. The only reason you won’t get 10 various definitions – the last guy cheated and mimicked what he heard a person else say!

Seriously, the concept of child development is simple sufficient to comprehend. If you will need any aid, Wikipedia.com is just a few keystrokes away. Intellectual child development… emotional child development – the definitions are all there. But spiritual child development is nowhere to be found, and it’s the “spiritual” component that makes us commence to hem and haw when we try to define the term.

Why must we even bother trying to nail down a definition for such an esoteric term? Well, according to the Center for Spiritual Development Center, there are at least 13 quantifiable factors for wanting to support this initiative:

Spiritual development lowers a person’s risk for:

1.     Hypertension

2.     Depression

three.     Suicide

4.     Promiscuity

5.     Alcohol & drug use

6.     Delinquent behavior

7.     Physical injury (this is not a misprint)

Spiritual development heightens the likelihood of:

1.   Civic engagement

2.   Well-being

3. Hope, purpose and meaning in life

4. Positive self-esteem

5. Educational attainment

6. Longevity

SOURCE: Johnson, B. R. (2008). A tale of two religious effects: Evidence for the protective and prosocial impact of organic religion. In Kline, K. K. (Ed.), Authoritative Communities: The Scientific Case for Nurturing the Entire Child.

Most discussions on this topic will center on the child’s faith. The degree of benefit derived (see above) will be directly related to the level of commitment a child has to his or her faith. But we at Small Lamb are taking a various approach. We propose that a high-level understanding of other faiths – or at the minimum an acknowledgement that other faiths do exist – is central to the healthy spiritual development of a child.

Just as a child’s mind can be poisoned by the hateful vitriol of a bigoted parent or pal, we believe it can be sculpted into a mind that’s accepting of other men and women of other faiths and religions. Our spiritual child development mission is relatively straightforward in concept, yet at the exact same time, amazing and powerful. If performed properly, it promotes all the excellent issues listed above. We want our youngsters to develop strong spiritual roots. How about you?

If spiritual respect and understanding are not taught at an early age, a complex of superiority (or inferiority) spawned by fear and ignorance can ensue, and we’ve all seen the negative – and occasionally horrific – consequences. Faith is an incredibly powerful force. Maybe even the strongest force of all. But it goes both methods.

The greatest chance for healthy and blissful Spiritual Child Development starts at a extremely young age. Is your child ready for this life-changing message? Are you?