So this morning my 7 year old daughter (1st grade, public school) tells me the Mr. Jim, her bus driver asked her to ask me if he could give her a "school bible".
I consider myself to be a Christian, to the extent that I buy into organized religion (not much). But I really dislike proselytizing, particularly to kids of this age.
Discuss...
[update - 2006-02-16]
So a few days ago I told my daughter she could accept the bible if she wants to. Decided not to make an issue of it at all.
Now this morning as we're going out to the school bus she has it in her hand (it'svery small - maybe 2" x 3") and I suggest she leave it at home or put it in her backpack so she could keep her hands in her coat pockets - very cold and windy this a.m.
She then tells me that "Mr. Jim wants her to show it to him every morning when she gets on the bus"
Ok, this is going to far. Handing it out was one thing - but pressuring the a 1st grader to carry it with her all the time??
[update - 2006-04-17]
Well, this got put on the back burner for awhile owing to the drama with my x's mental issues. But of course they converged. She (my x) got a mild panic attack about this issue last friday when my daughter said again that Mr. Jim was asking if she had the bible with her. She called me up about it and I said I would talk to him on Monday. But she panicked some moreand and filed a complaint with the school.
Fast forward to today - I went out to talk to him. Nobody else was on the bus. I told him that my daughter was feeling pressured by him always asking about the bible, and that I thought it was very inappropriate.
He then tells me that my daughter asked him for a bible when she saw the small one he has on the dash of the bus. This doesn't neccesarily suprise me as she's nuts about books - I don't doubt that she might have asked to see his book. Then he says he only asked about it once after he gave it to her. I know this is complete B.S. as she has been saying for weeks that Mr. Jim is asking her every day about her bible. He also said that he got "called into the office about this issue" last Friday. I didn't let on who had called the school - he probably thinks it was me, but according to my daughter there are a few other kids on the bus that he does this stuff with as well.
It was all very cordial & friendly - we'll see what happens.
I consider myself to be a Christian, to the extent that I buy into organized religion (not much). But I really dislike proselytizing, particularly to kids of this age.
Discuss...
[update - 2006-02-16]
So a few days ago I told my daughter she could accept the bible if she wants to. Decided not to make an issue of it at all.
Now this morning as we're going out to the school bus she has it in her hand (it'svery small - maybe 2" x 3") and I suggest she leave it at home or put it in her backpack so she could keep her hands in her coat pockets - very cold and windy this a.m.
She then tells me that "Mr. Jim wants her to show it to him every morning when she gets on the bus"
Ok, this is going to far. Handing it out was one thing - but pressuring the a 1st grader to carry it with her all the time??
[update - 2006-04-17]
Well, this got put on the back burner for awhile owing to the drama with my x's mental issues. But of course they converged. She (my x) got a mild panic attack about this issue last friday when my daughter said again that Mr. Jim was asking if she had the bible with her. She called me up about it and I said I would talk to him on Monday. But she panicked some moreand and filed a complaint with the school.
Fast forward to today - I went out to talk to him. Nobody else was on the bus. I told him that my daughter was feeling pressured by him always asking about the bible, and that I thought it was very inappropriate.
He then tells me that my daughter asked him for a bible when she saw the small one he has on the dash of the bus. This doesn't neccesarily suprise me as she's nuts about books - I don't doubt that she might have asked to see his book. Then he says he only asked about it once after he gave it to her. I know this is complete B.S. as she has been saying for weeks that Mr. Jim is asking her every day about her bible. He also said that he got "called into the office about this issue" last Friday. I didn't let on who had called the school - he probably thinks it was me, but according to my daughter there are a few other kids on the bus that he does this stuff with as well.
It was all very cordial & friendly - we'll see what happens.