Faith does a body good: teaching kids to respect their bodies will help them make wise decisions later in life.IT WAS A WARM FALL DAY, AND 2-YEAR-OLD JAMIE AND I were outside playing when she spotted the wading pool left over from the summer. Before I could stop her, she wriggled out of her sundress sun·dressn. A light summer dress with a bodice that exposes the arms and shoulders. Noun 1. sundress - a light loose sleeveless summer dress with a wide neckline and thin shoulder straps that expose the arms and , whipped off her diaper, and climbed in. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As naked Jamie splashed around in her outdoor bathtub, it struck me how completely unself-conscious she was. For a flash I felt as God might have, watching Eve in the Garden of Eden Garden of Eden n. See Eden. Noun 1. Garden of Eden - a beautiful garden where Adam and Eve were placed at the Creation; when they disobeyed and ate the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil they were , hoping it could last forever. One of my favorite school Masses last year included a song by my son's class that had this line: "Don't let anyone ever tell you that you're anything less than beautiful; don't let anyone ever tell you that you're less than whole." The "wholeness" of the human person--the connection between body and spirit--is a message children can begin to understand at a very young age. It is a message that will give them strength during their teen and young adult years. Help children to see their bodies as holy. In his Theology of the Body Theology of the Body refers to a series of 129 lectures given by Pope John Paul II during his Wednesday audiences in the Pope Paul VI Hall between September 1979 and November 1984. , Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (Latin: Ioannes Paulus PP. II, Italian: Giovanni Paolo II, Polish: Jan Paweł II) born Karol Józef Wojtyła said, "The body, and it alone, is capable of making visible what is invisible, the spiritual and divine." In other words Adv. 1. in other words - otherwise stated; "in other words, we are broke" put differently our bodies allow us a glimpse of God. Use language with kids to reinforce how our bodies connect us with God. ("Great pass. God gave you a strong arm.") Point out the differences of the human body as gifts from God. As kids get older they will be able to understand the concept of the "dignity beyond compare" of the human body that John Paul II John Paul II, 1920–2005, pope (1978–2005), a Pole (b. Wadowice) named Karol Józef Wojtyła; successor of John Paul I. He was the first non-Italian pope elected since the Dutch Adrian VI (1522–23) and the first Polish and Slavic pope. spoke of. Teens who will need to make decisions regarding alcohol, drugs, and sex require something to stand on besides just "saying no." They need to have the vantage point that they are responsible for the protection of human dignity--both their own dignity and the dignity of those around them. You are made in the image of God--and you don't need that lip gloss. Slick ads make kids feel that they are not good enough the way they are. If they don't have the "right" jeans, shoes, or makeup, they are inferior and incomplete. While parents wouldn't think of inviting a stranger into the house to tell their kids they should eat more junk food junk food n. Any of various prepackaged snack foods high in calories but low in nutritional value. junk food or buy sexy jeans, many don't think twice about leaving them alone with commercials that do exactly that. When an ad comes on that you don't agree with, challenge it out loud or require kids to mute the commercials when they come on. What do cheese curls Cheese curls, sometimes referred to as corn curls or cheese puffs, are a popular snack food. These crispy snacks are formed from cornmeal, water, oil, and flavored coatings. have to do with God? There's nothing in the Ten Commandments Ten Commandments or Decalogue [Gr.,=ten words], in the Bible, the summary of divine law given by God to Moses on Mt. Sinai. They have a paramount place in the ethical system in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. that prohibits that third scoop of ice cream, and Jesus never said anything about jogging. But the Bible was written during a time when walking was the main form of transportation and the issue with calories was getting enough rather than having too many. When St. Paul St. Paul as a missionary he fearlessly confronts the “perils of waters, of robbers, in the city, in the wilderness.” [N.T.: II Cor. 11:26] See : Bravery wrote, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body" (1 Cor. 6:19-20), he could not have imagined that 2,000 years later the obesity rate in this country would hover around 25 percent. St. Paul's
Helping kids honor their bodies * Watch what you say about your own body, If you don't like your hips, keep your opinion to yourself. Kids look to the parent of the same sex for cues in how to think about their own bodies. Jesus' command that we love our neighbors as we love ourselves implies first a love of self. * Set limits. Children can't turn into couch potatoes if they are allowed only 30 minutes of screen time a day or video games only on weekends. * Talk about chastity. This old-fashioned word is getting a breath of new life. For older kids try the article "What is chastity?" by Thomas and Judy Lickona and William Boudreau, reprinted at catholiceducation.org. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] On the Web For more family resources, visit: homefaith.com By ANNEMARIE SCOBEY, editor of AT HOME WITH OUR FAITH, a monthly newsletter for families from Claretian Publications. |
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