How to Raise a Child

Love the "schools messed everything up" comment!

Rivkah,

Just be glad and proud your children remain Jewish. It could be worse. Way worse. As in, what my 86 year old mother--as well as my 2 siblings & myself--suffer, at the notion that our brother entered into Xtianity around age 23 (and he's 56 now). He's a lovely person, and we love him dearly, but his swerve off the drench was waaaaaaaay off, and he never took the high road back.

Incidentally, he's now victimized by a disease that is permanent and contributes to early death. So we've all but given up he'll ever return.

Your children and grandchildren are Jewish, and they love you. That's all that matters.

I always enjoy listening or watching Rabbi Manis freedmans lectures.
They are always insightful and so simple and logical!!

A growing number of families have discovered the advantage of Torah-centered homeschooling: the children live and breathe Judaism in a natural way, spend a lot of time with their parents and siblings, and have time to pursue chesed activities. Children get to see more of the parent's life and parent's have more opportunities to provide models of behavior and learning.

What about a Baalas Teshuva? (one who returns to Judaism) I became a baalas tshuvah at 52.
My children are secular, and I live a full orthodox life. Understandably, this has created a separation, but we try to bridge the gap as welll as we can, as we try to maintain harmony at home. Two of my grandchildren go to a conservative Jewish day schools and the other two grandchildren go to Sunday school for two hours/wk. When I travel to see them, the Sunday school parents have a Rabbi come to kosher the kitchen in the guest house for us. They see us observe Shabbos and Yom Tov, and although my children didn't see me observant when they were little, I try my best to be a new role model. With the help of G-d and my tears and prayers, I hope they become observant someday..