I often see that many of us who are converts to the Dhamma take issue with raising our children according to its values. For better or worse, I’m not one of these people, and nothing gives me more joy than seeing my kids understand and rejoice in the Dhamma themselves.
My kids have been exposed to Dhamma in the form of the Theravadin tradition since before they were born. So, without ever even having to teach them they picked up on. “namo tassa bhagavato” and, with some little prodding and bribery my son can now record the Five Precepts in Pali and English.
These are great things but even better is to see him take on the practice. This morning as we were walking up the stairs from the train to school we saw an older lady struggling with her bag. I told him to go help her and at first he was confused. “¿Como voy a ayudarle? How am I going to help her?” he asked. I told him just to help lift her bag so and wouldn’t struggle and he did.
The look of pride and happiness in his face let me know immediately that he understood and I took the opportunity to tell him a bit about dana-sila-bhavana but the real point and teaching was made in his heart. May we all grow in the Dhamma.
Cattāri Brahmavihārā 
Thank you so much for sharing these thoughts. Not sure how I stumbled upon this site or your post, but I am delighted to read this.
As the mother of a 4-year-old daughter and a new(ish) practitioner of Buddhism, I am delighted to have stumbled across this site and your post. It’s great to find others who think the same as you do on things like this. I am always so excited to hear and see my daughter talk about and know Buddhism! I also believe that learning it naturally as she grows up will make practicing it as an adult (if she so desires) much easier instead of learning it as an adult. It’s challenging to undo all of the prior teachings/learning an adult has about other religions and philosophies. lam proud to be teaching my daughter about Buddha at a young age.
One of the minor struggles l’ve faced in teaching her about Buddhism (or any other topic), is that she struggles to stay engaged/not get distracted. Do you recommend any particular resources/activities/crafts/methods for teaching a young child about Buddhism?
Once again, thanks for sharing this post!
With all of the places on the internet to wind up, l am glad to have ended up here.
You’ve reinforced my thoughts about raising my girl in this lifestyle.
Amituofo!
By: Tiffiany on 04/24/2025
at 12:51 pm
Sadhu anumodami! I often read the Jataka tales to my daughter as well as Buddhist children’s stories. We talk about the Dhamma often as it is the lens through which we interpret our problems and formulate our approaches to life. We also did a refuge and precept ceremony with one of my favorite Ajahns where she received her Buddhist (Pali) name. Wishing you every good blessing!
By: Michael Rickicki on 04/24/2025
at 2:09 pm