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Select a Category About Me Atheism Book Books Buddhism Christianity Confucianism Death Discipline Folk Religions God Hell Hinduism Indoctrination Interfaith Islam Judaism Literacy Mommy What's That? News Nonreligious Parenting Prayer Religious Tolerance Research Science Scientology Sikhism Taoism Taosim The Science of Good Parenting Uncategorized

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September 2015

September 25, 2015

7-Year-Old: ‘Why Would God Care Whether I Believe in Him?’

Happy Friday, everyone! Here's one from the archives. Originally posted July 4, 2013. ••••• My...

June 2015

June 09, 2015

3 Things Secular Parents Do That I Wish They Wouldn’t

Look around the Atheist Channel here at Patheos, and you're bound to see gripes about religion. Look...

June 05, 2015

7 Ways to Ensure Kids Make Up Their Own Minds About Religion

Did anyone else see this story in the Daily Beast about how lots of kids who...

November 2014

November 20, 2014

5 Reasons Not to ‘Fake Religion’ for the Kids

I once read a blog post on mommmish.com under the headline, I'm Not Religious, But I'm Considering Faking...

November 08, 2014

In Lieu of Heaven: Give Kids Permission to be Happy

This is the last post in a weeklong series offering secular parents some practical advice on...

November 07, 2014

In Lieu of Heaven, Give Kids Permission to Be Sad

This weeklong series offer secular parents some practical advice on handling death, and talks about...

November 06, 2014

In Lieu of Heaven, Give Kids Something to Do

This weeklong series offer secular parents some practical advice on handling death, and talks about death,...

November 05, 2014

In Lieu of Heaven: Give Kids Confidence

Part Three of a weeklong series. Click here for parts One and Two. Did you...

November 04, 2014

In Lieu of Heaven, Give Kids Your Attention

Part Two of a weeklong series. When it comes to addressing the potentially frightening topic...

November 03, 2014

In Lieu of Heaven, Give Kids Science

Part One of a weeklong series. Let's talk about death. It has been my experience...

May 2014

May 29, 2014

When the ‘Best’ School is a Religious School

This is an issue that comes up a lot in secular families. (So much so...

February 2014

February 10, 2014

‘Mommy, What’s Satan?’

Of all the religious concepts that I've discussed with my 8-year-old daughter, Satan has been...

October 2013

October 21, 2013

‘Very Religious Parents’ Trying to Indoctrinate Their Grandkid

I got a letter from a reader today. Raise your hand if you can relate....

July 2013

July 15, 2013

‘Golden Rule’ — Beautiful, Universal and Very, Very Old

It is a common misconception that the Golden Rule began with Jesus. In fact, it's...

June 2013

June 06, 2013

It’s Not a Competition: 8 Tips for Interfaith Parents

In America at least, "mixed-religion” families are becoming a norm. And that's a great thing...

June 03, 2013

7 Tips for Dealing with Religious Relatives

I'm lucky to have a supportive family. Even my religious family members respect and accept...

May 2013

May 13, 2013

Daddy, Daughter Discuss God (Again); More Cuteness Ensues

My husband and 7-year-old daughter had another totally awesome conversation about God a few days...

April 2013

April 22, 2013

The Best Thing About Being a Secular Parent? You Tell Me!

Not long ago, my sister and her husband invited an old friend over for dinner....

April 16, 2013

12 Tips for Talking to Little Ones About Death

When American children return from school today, many will undoubtedly have questions about the Boston...

March 2013

March 04, 2013

Nonreligious Parents a ‘Niche’ Market? Not By My Count

When I started pitching "Relax, It's Just God" two years ago, I was told, repeatedly,...

February 2013

February 25, 2013

One Set of ‘Footprints in the Sand’ is Plenty for This Kid

When I was growing up — Missouri, 1980s — half the kids I knew had...

February 18, 2013

God’s (Alleged) Gender Proves Problematic for Some Parents

About a year ago — when my daughter was six — I noticed that she...

January 2013

January 28, 2013

This Blog Has Been Flagged as Inappropriate

A couple of weeks ago, a Texas mother named Deborah Mitchell wrote a guest blog for...

January 07, 2013

Quick! What the Hell is Epiphany?

OK, y'all, I have to apologize. First, I've been traveling without my laptop for the...

December 2012

December 13, 2012

My Last Will and Testament (Sort Of)

One thing about being a nonreligious parent is that I have no expectation of an...

November 2012

November 26, 2012

Research Shows Baby Jesus Crazy Popular

For the last few weeks, I've been prepping for the first edition of Relax, It's Just...

October 2012

October 15, 2012

Washington Post Blog Spotlights ‘Relax, It’s Just God’

This isn't so much a blog as brag, so if you are my close friends,...

October 01, 2012

The Inheritance of Anxiety

Sometimes, in looking through the responses to my Survey for Nonreligious Parents, I'm faced with...

September 2012

September 27, 2012

‘We’ll Miss You When We’re in Heaven and You’re Not’

Religious breaks in any family structure can be painful. People who find out beloved relatives...

August 2012

August 09, 2012

Letting Kids Choose Their Clothes (And Their Faith)

When my daughter was still an infant, my husband and I took her to a...