How do you strengthen Baha'i identity in your children?

As we exit a very busy holiday season in the United States and approach the special period of Ayyam-i-Ha, the Fast and the Baha'i New Year, we'd treasure the chance to learn what you do to strengthen a Baha'i identity in your children. Though 'Baha'i culture' is something we are striving to understand in collaboration with others, we have all had experience, insights and learning worth sharing.

We invite your thoughts and stories!

This entry was written by Administrator, posted on Tuesday, January 8, 2013 Bookmark the permalink.

2 comments for “How do you strengthen Baha'i identity in your children?”

  1. Gravatar of Ted TaylorTed Taylor
    Posted Tuesday, January 8, 2013 at 2:31:54 PM

    Summer Schools: Our children (now young adults) have told us that the most positive thing in helping them to feel a Baha'i identity was to attend summer schools. They met other kids their age who were Baha'is, studied Baha'i teachings together and experienced Baha'i culture. Our family went every year from when they were little to week-long schools, sometimes to more than one. When they reached age 12 they also started going to Carmel Baha'i School which is for junior youth and youth (no parents).

  2. Gravatar of LuaLua
    Posted Tuesday, January 8, 2013 at 4:13:37 PM

    From my earliest infancy I remember my parents reading stories at bedtime and singing. My dad would regularly pull out the guitar and sing to us. Those songs are the same ones I now sing to my own children at bedtime! Overall, music has been very meaningful to my identity as it is an accessible way to memorize either uplifting or Holy words that come to mind in moments of need. I've also noticed how children enjoy tradition and anticipate something they experience as a special event yet on a regular basis (even yearly). When I was a child I remember my parents eating breakfast at candle light during the Fast. The memory still brings a warm feeling inside. For Ayyam-i-Ha my parents invite the family over and hide gifts around the house. They give the kids clues. Sometimes they are prayers or quotes with missing words. The words are the clue to where the gifts are. The younger kids love it and my teens still remember searching for gifts when they were younger.

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