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| 'God's' Paintbrush (Photo by Jennifer Rensel) |
According to Spirituality & Practice, Rabbi
Sandy Eisenberg Sasso was the “second
woman to be ordained as a rabbi
(1974) and the first rabbi to
become
a mother.” She therefore knows
a thing or two about raising spiritually-oriented
children.
Her
well-known children’s book God’s Paintbrush has recently
been honored
with a Special 10th
Anniversary Edition. During the past ten years, Sasso has
also written nine other "multifaith" classics”
that focus upon the spirituality of
children and their parents.
In
an interview provided to Spirituality
& Practice by Sasso’s
publisher Jewish Lights, Sasso
explains that children have an “innate spirituality”
that is often overlooked by adults because
it isn’t easily expressed with words. She therefore
advises: When talking to our children about
God, we do not need to simplify the
concept, only the language.
Children
are often taught specific ways to describe
God. Like coloring only within the
lines, this might somewhat limit their ability
to creatively understand the vastness of God’s
inexplicable nature.
Sasso
also recommends that adults try to
recall their own spiritual childhood experiences. She feels that this will make parents better able to resonate with the
soulful experiences of their children.
Resources
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/books/features.php?id=15228
Copyright April 17, 2014 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved
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