Nurturing Your Child’s Relationship with God after Baptism
By Karin Middleton
Assistant Director of Family Ministry
Archdiocese of Denver
Bringing your child to be baptized gives him or her a tremendous grace and gift of God. It begins your child’s relationship with the Father, Jesus and Holy Spirit as well as the Church. God charges parents to communicate his love and truth at home and in the world (see Deuteronomy 6:7). Jesus affirms this by inviting parents to bring the little children to him (see Matthew 19:14). Yet not knowing how to help your child grow in faith can lead to feeling stuck.
Here are five ways to help your child develop a relationship with God:
Pray with your child. It’s never too early (or late!) to pray with your child. Remember that prayer is talking to God. Establish habits of conversing with God around daily activities such as meals and bedtime. Our Heavenly Father desires to be included in all the ordinary and extraordinary moments of life. Developmentally, young children focus on God in prayer by expressing thanksgiving and delighting in the natural world and the Creator it reveals. Later (around age seven), children begin to intercede for themselves and others in prayer.
Bless your child. While priests and deacons bless on behalf of the Church in formal ways, parents can offer blessings to nurture their child’s developing faith. Mark your child with the Sign of the Cross as a part of diaper changing routines or offer spoken blessings before going out or at bedtime. May the Lord bless you and keep you now and forever (see Numbers 6:24). Feel free to use your own words of blessing too.
Celebrate your child’s Baptism Day. Just like a birthday, remember your child’s Baptism Day each year. Pictures and sharing stories will help your child feel connected with this significant day. Recount who was there and why — you became a child of God! It also serves as a reminder to intentionally connect with godparents and renew your commitment to foster your child’s relationship with Jesus.
Get involved with your Catholic community. While you are the primary formator of your child, you were never meant to do this alone. In fact, the Church commits to supporting you during the Baptism. By going to Mass regularly and spending time getting to know other families, you receive essential life-giving support on the spiritual parenting journey.
Grow in your own relationship with God. One of the most fundamental ways you can help your child’s faith is to nurture your own relationship with God — the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Growing alongside your child is a beautiful way to learn the Mass, deepen prayer and develop relationships with others on the faith journey.
God entrusted your child to you. Through Baptism, he or she became a child of God and member of the Church family. When we cooperate, the Holy Spirit will guide us and our children into a lifelong relationship with Jesus.
Resources:
Look and Learn: Words for Catholic Kids by Casey Pawelek
Tell Me about the Catholic Faith for Small Children by Christine Pedotti
Psalms of Praise: A Movement Primer by Danielle Hitchen, art by Jessica Blanchard
Parenting Your Kids with Grace: Birth to Age 10 (Part Four: Discipleship Parenting for the Ages and Stages) by Dr. Greg and Lisa Papcak
