Atheist Dad Seeking Answers

[Mxwll]

New here and glad to be a new member.
I found this site via the Google. My main reason for being here is seek out other parents and discuss strategies and methods of sharing my views with my young (11 and 8 as of this posting) children. I am interested in discussing ways of teaching my kids virtue, morality and humility. I want them to be good without god(s). My intention is to do this in a structured manner using discussion and light reading, and to use everyday life as our classroom when appropriate.

Mxwll

[Zen Badger]

As an atheist father of 6 and an atheist grandfather of 8, I can inform you that you don't have to tell them anything.

Set the example and they will copy you.

And leave lots of science fictIon lying around.

[Mxwll]

Set the example and they will copy you.

Thanks Badger That is good advice, and how we have proceeded thus far. Something has recently happened, and has occurred before, that makes me think otherwise. My older one has been boasting about material possessions to a younger and (perceived by him) as a less well off child.
Given that this has happened more than once and is not in any way how Mrs M. or I lead our lives, living solely by example is not working. I am not talking about boring them to tears here, just some light instruction in the basic tenets of morality and ethical behavior, couched so any child can wrap their mind around it.

[Optimistic Mysanthrope]

Welcome Mxwll, I was going to give some advice, but Zen said everything I was going say and put it much more succinctly.

[Fruity]

Hi and welcome.

I am an atheist parent. I teach my children to be decent humans like any other parent would only I leave the fear of hell out of it.

There are consequences, rewards, and lots and lots of talking.

[Kayenneh]

Heya and welcome to AF! ^_^

My atheist dad quoted Hitchens to me, when we were on the topic of ethics: "Do stuff as you do when the boss is watching". That and "What would dad say about this?" are two lessons I've been taught as a child and the rest has been up to myself. So, that's my two cents

[Mxwll]

I leave the fear of hell out of it.

Most certainly leave any kind of mythology out, unless it is framed as a parable or fable.
The youngster I am speaking of is very intelligent for his age (as every parent thinks to some degree, I am sure) and we frequently talk about larger questions in science. School is not failing him on that front. it is history and reading where he runs into trouble. I think that these issues are tangentially related. I want to draw him into thinking along more abstract lines of reason and into the large picture of humanity as a whole. Maybe he is too young for this as of yet, I don't know, but I feel I need to start somewhere, and I certainly do not expect his school to do it for me.

[Cato]

My children are 26 and 23. I also have a 4 year old grandson. This only means I have experience and in no way demonstrates any level of expertise.

My one piece of advice is to thoroughly answer their questions. Children are naturally inquisitive. Many parents will unintentionally patronize their children by delivering overly simplistic explanations to answer their questions. The simplified version often comes across as magic or 'because I said so'. Perhaps an anecdote.

We had my grandson during a rain shower and he offered that angels were crying (a fine example of bullshit adults dump on young inquiring minds). Knowing my daughter didn't teach this I said that wasn't true, God was pissing. I was having a bit of fun, but my daughter knew exactly who was responsible after my grandson shared his newfound knowledge. We had a good laugh and promised to correct the situation.

I started with a verbal explanation of the hydrologic cycle, of course knowing that some demonstration would be in order. We next boiled some water allowing him to see the steam (not to discuss phase change, but show him that water does indeed go into the air as vapor). Next we put the lid on and allowed some to condense (like a cloud in a way). Lift the lid and shake a little to make it rain. He then challenged me with making it rain outside.

To try and teach 4 year old the difference between boiling and evaporation we poured a pint of water on the lawn and a pint in a flat shallow dish that was left out in the sun (solves the question of the water going into the ground). He was relentless in how often he would go check the status of the water.

Now, I don't expect that my grandson has a complete understanding of the hydrologic cycle, but he now knows the rudiments and will call bullshit when someone dismisses his inquiry with some superficial reason. In addition, it will serve to deepen his curiousity regarding how things work and as he gets older he will continue to question other superficial explanations for phenomenon.

A bonus is that when he starts school he will already have an understanding of what's being taught so that he can delve deeper.

[Cinjin]

Set the example and they will copy you.

Always good advice ... well as long as you set an example worth following. (which may be why christians often turn out to be such lying, immoral, hypocritical, unethical pieces of human refuse.)



All honesty aside, if you're not referencing the scribblings of uneducated terrified primitives to dictate your daily decisions, you'll very likely do just fine raising your children.

[LastPoet]

New here and glad to be a new member.
I found this site via the Google. My main reason for being here is seek out other parents and discuss strategies and methods of sharing my views with my young (11 and 8 as of this posting) children. I am interested in discussing ways of teaching my kids virtue, morality and humility. I want them to be good without god(s). My intention is to do this in a structured manner using discussion and light reading, and to use everyday life as our classroom when appropriate.

Mxwll

Enjoy the forums. Kids come with no users manual, so I think you will have to do your best.