A book on raising children who say grace

God At The Kitchen Table
By Scott Cooper
Three Rivers Press, 2002
222 pages
Available at Goodwill Bookstore

How, as a parent, do you teach your children about God? A quick recollection will surely bring to mind memories of Sundays in church, religion class in school, and the occasional, if not regular, church-related events that come with growing up in a more or less religious environment. I, for one, remember priests from my Catholic grade school and high school giving us Bible talks; joining a Catholic charismatic community upon the invitation of friends when as an adoloscent; and emabarking on my personal search for a deeper sense of spirituality when I was in university. What I don’t remember is my parents and I ever engaging in a "Who is God?" talk, and I’m quite positive this question, if I had ever asked it, would have surely left them stumped.

Recognizing the bafflement with which parents might face this line of questioning, and, going even deeper, knowing the weight of the responsibility of being at the helm of their children’s moral and religious training, Scott Cooper has come up with God at the Kitchen Table, a book on what to teach children about religion and morality and how to teach it to them.

What makes this book even more helpful is that it leans towards no particular religion, focusing instead on spirituality (Cooper writes, "Spirituality is the degree with which we’re in touch with our interior life, find it important, and work to strengthen and enrich it.") and morality ("Morality says some things are better than others. We don’t need angels to come and tell us what helps or hurts others," he explains, "God has written a basic moral code into the soul of humanity.").

The book, which has four parts plus an appendix that offers the basics of various religious traditions and a list of resources for home-churching, covers just about every inch of the ground parents would need to be familiar with to nurture their children’s spiritual and moral foundation. Part One, "Providing Religious and Moral Training," for instance, highlights the parents’ role as the family’s spiritual cornerstone. And very informative chapter discussed the power of teaching by example. Part Two, "Specific Ways to Teach in the Home," enumerates many methods with which parents can effectively help their children’s spiritual life to flourish in the environment with which they have more control. Part Three, "Scripts for Teaching Positive Virtues," gives a list of virtues (trust in God, reverence for life, optimism and frugality, among many others) that parents can pass on to children to give them a happy and beneficial life. Finally, Part Four, "Partnering with Organized Religion," is basically a guide to help you find a religion (if you want one) you can practice to fortify your and your children’s spiritual growth. Included in this short but very informative part of the book is Cooper’s well-researched list of the major religious denominations’ contact numbers (for US churches only, unfortunately) and official websites.

Pope Paul IV, as quoted by Cooper, once said that the family is the domestic church and parents should, by word and example, be the first teachers of the faith to their children. Picking up Scott Cooper’s God at the Kitchen Table is one good way to start. – Althea Lauren Ricardo