Take Your Kids to Church, But Don't Make Them Hate It

Bringing children to church is worth the effort of a busy Sunday morning, especially for those who hope to leave a lasting legacy in their children's lives.

It is much like feeding children wholesome food while they are small. Homemade, unprocessed foods shape their palates and can become a genuine source of comfort in times of stress, unlike a shot of sugar or processed fat that gives a brief dopamine boost and yet leaves them nutritionally starving. Taste memory is lasting. Even years later, a person returns fondly, in mind and in habit, to the things tied to those memories: a muffin baked by their grandmother around the holidays, a roast their father made for Saturday lunch to celebrate time together, a special cake made only once a year for the New Year.

The same is true of worship, especially in the Orthodox Church, where every sense is engaged and the experience is unlikely to fade. Children will return to it in memory throughout their lives, and it is up to parents to ensure that what they find there is peace and consolation instead of blind rigor, restraint, and impatience.