Parenting Means Having Explanations at "A Moment's Notice"

There are many outstanding resources for adults wishing to consider the arguments in support of and in opposition to religious belief itself. And that’s important work: Intellectual and ethical maturity can be measured in part by a person’s willingness to engage in constant reflection on what he or she holds to be true and good. Parents in particular must be able to articulate the foundations of their own values and beliefs at a moment’s notice—and what better describes the appearance and disappearance of opportunities in parenting than “a moment’s notice”? Ungrounded, unexamined beliefs, whether secular or sacred, are the most inflexible, the least open to reconsideration and revision. In order to raise children whose convictions are grounded in reflection and an openness to change, we must model the same.

Dale McGowan, Parenting Beyond Belief (2007-04-25)

• atheism
• parenting
• philosophy