Our Current Challenge of Raising a Freethinker

So, Scott and I are raising Mat and Tempe to be Freethinkers.  Yes, Scott and I are atheists...but no, we do not want to raise Mat and Tempe to be atheist.  We, at the very core, want our children to grow up and decide for themselves as to what they wish to believe or not believe.  We do not wish to indoctrinate them to one way of thinking, and that one way is the only correct choice.  We want to open them to all of the various types of religion, spirituality, science, mythos, etc.  We want to give them the critical thinking and comprehension skills necessary, but let them make that decision when they are ready.  Then, on top of that, to know that whatever their decision is we will love them.  This approach will also hopefully instill a level of acceptance and respect for people of all types regardless of their beliefs.  This concept is much more simple in thought than it is in execution.  Outside pressures are constantly on the kids.  It makes me sad because part of the outside pressures are bordering on bullying.

For example, within the past year or so we've let Mat start going to church with his grandparents.  We wanted to wait for him to go for when he started asking questions.  So now that he is curious and asks questions we've decided that he is old enough to let him go.  At one of their churches there is a little girl that goes to his school.  This little girl told him that she refuses to play with him or be his friend unless he goes to church all the time.  That's the most extreme example so far, but he is only in the first grade.  I hope this is the worst that will come, but I highly doubt it.  Mat is also a very sensitive child.  He wants people to be happy, he wants to make people proud.  He is very afraid of hurting someone's feelings by telling them something they do not want to hear.  So with that factor also in the mix, it's very difficult to keep his mind open and asking questions regardless of who he is around.

I have a feeling our challenges will be very different with Tempe.  Her personality is much stronger than Mat's.  She's a much more of a willful child.  She has no issue telling you "no", or expressing her own feelings and frustrations.  She's only 2, so we have a few years before things start to get more difficult.  Right now we'll just focus on ABC's and 123's.

To summarize, I'd just like my children to have the patience, freedom and allowance from society to let them come to their own conclusions.  To review the wealth of knowledge they have between books, respected people, the Internet and other media then come up with their own ideals and beliefs.  I will say that having gone to Reason Rally, and hearing Dale McGowan speak gave me encouragement that raising children in this way is not impossible.  It also made me realize that parents who are raising children to think freely are not alone.