[Talk: It's a Sad Day When ...]

Mattias is a drummer. He's our 3 year old boy - turning 4 soon enough - and has been hitting a beat since he was 6 months old. He's not a superstar - but he can actually PLAY fairly complicated rhythms and I love to play along with him on the piano.

We started posting up his video clips on youtube, mainly for overseas family and such. With all of his little clips combined, he's had over 15,000 hits ... probably all from his Zia Silvia (Aunt) *grin*. So they're all drumming clips, except for one - and this is what has caused me to write this blog today.

We haven't taught Mattias any Sunday school songs...we're too busy showing him current music trends in the Christian music world - and he's far more into that. BUT - one night he started singing "Jesus Loves Me". I had never taught it to him - so I ran, got my video camera, filmed it, and put it on youtube for my family and friends to see.

Yesterday, I received this comment at the youtube site:

"It's child abuse to put religious ideas in children' minds, and I hope it will be crime in the future. If you want to believe in God, Alhá, Santa Claus or the Invisible Pink Unicorn, that's your bussines, but leave kids alone. Now he sings "Jesus loves me" then he will be crashing planes on buildings. "

Hmm.

So I walked away from the computer, chatted with my cousins about the whole thing and decided that I would state my opinion on my blog - rather than vent by replying to this person on youtube.

It's a fascinating thing to think that we, as parents, are not going to try and teach our children the values and such that we believe in. Whether it's good hygiene, good eating habits or sleep habits, values on alcohol, drugs, education, athletics, safe sex or no sex ... we all instill our personal feelings onto our children. That's what being a PARENT is about. A parent is a teacher - one who guides carefully so that our babies are safe as children and loving, responsible adults when they grow up.

The comment made is, in fact, a dangerous one. Not to me personally, but to our world. Because what this person fails to realize, is that THEY are actually the ones sending hate and judgement. The comments comparing Mattias' song to 911 terrorist ... it's a sad, sad thing. And I wonder what they will choose to teach their children? Will they introduce their children to every faith to be "fair" and allow them to choose? Or by their own actions, will they influence their young to think that all Faiths are evil, divisive, and arrogant - not realizing that perhaps their own "lack" of belief will show them just that. People who are proud to have "no faith" fail to realize that sometimes that in itself is, in fact, their faith - their belief system.

More so than the whole conversation of religion and faith, what rattled me the most is the concept that we as parents "brainwash" our kids into thinking whatever it is that we want them to think - rather than consistantly teaching them life principles that we believe will give them full lives.

Which makes me wonder if "Mr. Youtube" is a parent.