what hannah teaches me

My daughter Hannah is such a great little advocate. Her 5th grade teacher told me that if she ever needed someone to stand on her side and be her voice, that she would choose Hannah. I love how her heart aches for the least of these. She might just relate to them. 

I sometimes think of her as my little progressive Christian and it makes me smile. I am sure that one day she will find herself a nice conservative, bible literalist and will refuse to hold his hand until they are married. And it will drive me insane.

I see how huge heart her is and it makes me honored to know her. I say all this because I talk to her about things and sometimes I wonder if maybe I shouldn’t. Now, I am not talking about the business meetings of the church or telling her annoying habits of her father (she wouldn't care, nor notice). That is not what I mean.

Yesterday, the State of Georgia executed a man. Guilty or not, we may never know. But I asked Hannah on Monday if they were talking about it at school and she said no. So, I told her the story of Troy Davis. And of course, I ended the story with my theological reasons for being against the death penalty. I know that my words will impact how she views this topic. Which is why I wonder if I should share them at times like these.

I ask myself:

What is the value of discovering the realities of life on your own? 

How is my sharing with her why I believe that any act that dishonors the sanctity of life is wrong different from someone who believes that one race, one gender or one sexual orientation is the only way to be or else you are inferior or an abomination? Isn’t it hypocrisy for me to think that it is okay for me to teach my children what I believe and then roll my eyes in disgust when someone else does the same thing?

I feel that I was allowed to discover and pursue issues on my own as I matured. My mom made room for to do so. That is hard to do.

Last night, while the Supreme Court had possession of the case and the fate of Troy Davis I talked to Hannah again. I reminded her of what I had said on Monday night—about how death penalty cases are often political, they often only affect non-whites and how they are about retaliation and not rehabilitation and redemption. But then I told her about the crime—about how an off duty police officer was killed trying to help a homeless man who was beaten. She asked me questions, voiced her outrage about the beating of a homeless man—you shouldn’t do that she cried.

And then I talked to her about how the family of that officer was trying to get to some relief to their pain and suffering by having the man who killed their loved one punished to the fullest extent of the law. She understood that side, too.

My prayers are with both families today.

We live in a complex world and I think that we owe it to our children and each other to honor that. As parents, it’s our job to teach and lead our children and give them what they will need to be competent adults.  That means presenting more than just our favored opinions. We owe it to each other to be more open about the possibilities.