PARENTING January 18, 2010 Issue

UNIQUE IS A GOOD THING!

MEG WELCH DENDLER

I USED TO ASSUME that our children would be apples that didn't fall far from the tree—that they'd be similar to both my husband and me in many ways. But frequently, this hasn't been the case.

I've since learned through Christian Science that each and every individual comes to this life-experience as a unique idea of God. Each has tastes and talents that we can nurture as parents, but the creation process is already a done deal—and we simply bear witness to it. Since divine Mind, God, is the only Creator, it is only logical that each and every child has the divine Father-Mother as his or her only heritage.

It can be hard to step back from the commonly held idea that a mother and a father are the creators of a child—that a child is a little version of each of us or our ancestors. A lot of emphasis can be placed on the family line. While it can be heartwarming to notice that our children have the same wavy hair or sparkling eyes, for example, or resemble another cherished member of the family, material heritage is a slippery slope to navigate with any sense of safety. Genetic connection would also attach to us and our children the perpetuation of bad traits and habits, as well as disease, through the same material channels.