Using Faith to Connect with your Daughter

Every mother wants to forge a strong bond with her daughter. Children also seek strong connections with their parents. While there are many ways for mothers and daughters to connect, faith builds and strengthens that precious mother-daughter bond by establishing shared beliefs and lifelong similarities. It acts as the glue that binds us to our families and communities and allows for deep and meaningful connections that last through the years. The questions becomes, “How can I incorporate faith in my daughter’s life?”

It may seem daunting, perhaps so daunting that you avoid exploring faith with your parenting. Many consider faith too abstract or inaccessible for children to want or understand. Maybe it doesn’t seem “cool” enough. Don’t let doubts like these stop you from pursuing a connection with your daughter strengthened by faith. Children naturally desire faith and faithful connections, and they want to build beliefs that they share with their parents. That doesn’t necessarily mean children can articulate their instinct to pursue their personal spirituality. They may not be able to process and point to a God, or a religion, or faith as the way to fulfill their spiritual desires.

This is where parents can help. Parents are the shepherds that can help lead their children towards the path of enlightenment. And by acting as the shepherd, a parent’s own personal journey through faith will develop.

Instill Tradition in Your Routines

Children need routines and structure. Parents can help instill traditions at an early age so that children develop routines for worship times, memorize structured prayers and understand traditional celebrations. Traditions help build their basic faith structure as they grow and develop their own daily rituals or school routines.

Open Communication

As with any relationship, communication is key. Talk to your daughter about faith. Let her ask questions and answer them truthfully. Talk to her about your own experiences with faith. And let her come to her own conclusions about her spiritual beliefs.

Seek Community Activities and Volunteer

It is important to share the larger faith-based community with your daughter so she can see that others also share the same beliefs and support their communities. Engage in community activities and charities, especially those where faith is discussed openly and freely. Let your daughter participate in an environment where she can see others find self-fulfillment from helping others and which allows them to express their faith. Volunteering with local charities is a great way for your daughter to understand the power of goodwill and how that can benefit one’s spirituality.

Spend Time Sharing Wholesome Activities

Very simply, spending time with your daughter by engaging in fun and wholesome activities is a great way to strengthen your bond. Consider the following Villa Maria events:

• On March 24, we are hosting an Easter Egg Hunt at 10 AM at the Villa Maria Academy Lower
  School Playground.
• On April 12, we have Storytime at Villa Maria Academy Lower School, a great place for children
  to express themselves and connect with other children. Stories are often a powerful learning tool.
• On April 26, we are excited to host Sister Patricia McCormack, IHM, Ed.D. as she speaks on
  raising Christian children in today’s world at the Villa Maria Academy Gymnasium as a part of
  our free Parent Speaker Series. Sister McCormack is highly respected and may help provide you
  with some additional insight about how to help raise a faithful Christian girl in 2018.
  Here is additional information on the Speaker Series:
  • RAISING CHILDREN OF ETHICAL CHARACTER – CHILDREN WHO “DO JUSTICE” Presented by Dr. Patricia M. McCormack, IHM

“Children learn what they live and home is the primary place for formation. Simply stated, a
moral life is a life of love. Moral living implies ethical behavior — DOING JUSTICE! This parent
presentation will focus on three formative factors:

1. How to instill an ethical mindset through the ages and stages of child development;
2. Ways to challenge growth in ethical reasoning;
3. Ten Parent Practices that Mentor of Social Justice Mindset. Find validation of your parenting
   style and receive free resources for fostering ethical development within children at every stage of life.”

Parents should begin to instill faith early in their children’s development. One of the greatest joys as a parent can be to share faith and the love of God with your daughter. Few gifts come close to the joys which spirituality can bring to a soul. Your daughter will appreciate it, and the community she helps brighten with her grace will appreciate it too.