When your child asks you the dreaded question...

There are a couple of reasons why mom blogs interest me , apart of course from the fact that they are part of the AB (agelessbonding) community and I am interested to know what goes on in their lives and how their lovely babies are growing up. The other reasons are that they make me go back to my life 25 years ago and I see how in so many ways all young mothers are the same and yet in so many ways how their problems are so different. Here they are - carefree youngsters not responsible to anyone except themselves; and then they become parents and with that everything changes. Every option is weighed carefully before using it on the child - nothing but the best will do and no effort or sacrifice is too much. The transformation is interesting to watch - how the focus of their lives shifts completely to the child and her/his needs. There is a constant doubt if they are doing the right thing by the child and if they are doing all that they can. Well every parent goes through this and yet somehow we manage to go wrong somewhere, though we don't mean to.. Anyway, Philip Larkin's sentiments notwithstanding, there is far more conscious parenting, even overparenting,these days. So I wondered if any of the momma bloggers would like to contribute to the discussion on
Parenting: reason vs religion that is going on here
here here and here
I know that most of the kids have already been introduced to the concept of God, either through films like Ganesha and Hanuman or through the pujas and idols in the houses. But have they ever asked you who God is and what has been your answer? Has this led you to introspect and take stock of your faith and belief so that you can give your child an honest answer? Do any of you believe in instilling a fear of God in your kids?

My son never asked me this question as a child. It is possible that his grandfather took care of it. In any case he went to a J.K foundation school and it is possible the question never bothered him as a child and perhaps he found his answer later from books. At least I am absolved of the responsibility for his belief or otherwise in God (;)). I grew up believing in God and still lean on this Superpower for strength in my weakest moments. So if he had asked me about God, it is possible I may have painted the picture of an all loving, all forgiving divinity - someone like a kind, strong, best friend which is who I think God is. In any case, I would not have instilled any fear about God and his punishing skills or any ideas about heaven and hell.

So if your child were to ask you about God, would you have a confident answer or would you tell her/him that she/he is too young for it and should perhaps wait and seek the answer when she/he is old enough? Would it bother you if your child were to grow up to be a non-believer?

Edited to add after 6 comments:

I guess I did not ask the right question in the post.

Let me give an example. I have a relative whose family are believers of a cult – a particular person who is considered to possess divinity and she is worshipped by her followers as Living God. Now the parents drag their child to these prayer meetings and she is forced to pray before a picture of this person. And if she questions ( she is 9 and very precocious) she is told that she would suffer from bad karma and the child is terrified to ask questions now.
Isn’t this a form of child abuse?
What gives us as parents the right to impose our beliefs on the child? Shouldn’t the child be allowed to work out her/ his equation with God when the time comes rather than preempting things by introducing her/him to our beliefs and faith so early in life? Isn’t it then that much more difficult to breakaway from all that you have always been told to be true?