Eight Questions to Ask Yourself before You Begin

Nurturing Your Childs Spiritual Identity

In the book, My Forgotten Self, Tiev shares her deepest dreams with her family. In an attempt to protect Tiev, her
family discourages her by sharing their fears and regrets. As a result, Tiev is left feeling hurt and confused.
Children rely upon the adults in their lives to guide and encourage them. As a result, we have a huge impact on
how children view themselves and the world around them. However, it is difficult to teach what we do not know.
As a psychologist who specializes in spiritual and religious identity development, when my first child was born, I
struggled to find ways to transform my knowledge into a form I could use to consciously nurture my childs
spiritual identity. I soon realized that I needed to consciously explore my spiritual identity and develop ways to
consciously model the aspects of my spiritual identity I wanted to pass onto my child.
The following eight questions were crucial to guiding my initial steps toward nurturing my childs spiritual
identity:
1. Who am I as a spiritual being and how does this belief impact how I show up in the world and in the life of my
child?
2. How was I introduced to spiritual beliefswhat about this introductory process worked and what didnt?
3. How can I use the wisdom gained through my spiritual development process to help and not hinder my childs
spiritual development?
4. How do I teach my child about concepts I believe are important but difficult to explain (e.g. faith, connection to
an internal divine source, the power of love)?
5. How do I live a life guided by spirit and not just religion; a life that models the importance of being in the
moment and not just doing for the next moment?
6. How do I guide my child to understand that she can live a life driven by love or his divine purpose, as opposed
to a life driven by fear?
7. What are my emotional wounds and fears, and how can I manage them so they do not limit my childs growth?
8. At least once a day, how can I model what it means to consciously live through this spiritual identity?
For many of us, answers to these or similar questions may not come quickly. We may need to unlearn limiting
beliefs or heal from emotional wounds that keep us stuck and distracted. This is why my blog focuses a great deal
on healing and spiritual awareness. As adults, we must first remember our spiritual identity before we can fully
empower our children to stay in alignment with theirs.

Lynyetta G. Willis, Ph.D, began writing stories and poems at an early age. As a
psychologist, teacher, speaker, and author, Dr. Willis has woven spirituality into her
healing work with individuals and families for over fifteen years. Dr. Willis lives with her
husband and their two children in Georgia.