Catechizing the Cute, Questions 1 & 2

Perhaps I should add another post before I go back to introducing myself.  This blog is growing slowly, but it will get there.  I had to add this one soon because I thought it is important and theological, which is what I am trying to strive to present here, but it is also at the same time cute and precious, as it relates to our one-year old daughter.  We believe that catechizing Madelyn – teaching her and bringing her up in the knowledge of God, and doing the same for the children God may give us in the future – is an important thing.  Joanna and I talked about doing this a while back, and she tried the first steps yesterday, and it worked!  There are many forms of catechisms, of course, but the ones that we will follow will most likely be Reformed Baptist catechisms.  You can see examples at this website: The Reformed Reader; and the one that we might use for a little child like Madelyn would look something like this one: A Catechism for Girls and Boys.

So, what Joanna started out with on Madelyn yesterday, and what I continued working with her on today during some time that we have alone while Joanna works, were the first two questions:

1.Q. Who made you?
A. God made me.

2.Q. What else did God make?
A. God made all things.

We work on asking the questions, and then teaching her how to say the answer.  (For more on the reason why we would or should do this, take a look at some John Piper resources HERE and HERE.)  To our surprise and excitement, and in a way that is just timeless as only little children can be, she actually listens and answers!  Following the Baptist Catechism for Girls and Boys, we ask her first, “Madelyn, Who made you?” and in response, she throws her hands in the air above her head and shouts, “Gaahh!” (God)  Then we ask the next question: “What else did God make?” to which she answers, “Aaaahhh thhs!”  (All things)

So, I just wanted to say that catechizing our children is important, it is something that we have been thinking of lately, and wanted to report that it does work, even at a young age.  And I feel as if I need to qualify the word, “cute:” we don’t think God only works with physically attractive babies; I just chose “cute” because it was alliterative and because it is more of a quality of any little child – the way they say the answers!  But more importantly, we are putting the vocabulary in her mind, building the framework of thought about God upon which, by His grace and will, He will build in His timing.  It might take a while to get to question #3, but we’ll be working on it.

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