Search Institute

Parents were keenly aware that the death of a loved one, sickness, disappointment, war, and other tragedies cause children to waiver in their beliefs. They felt in these trying times, it is the responsibility of parents to reach out to their children to help them process and make sense of what has happened.

When asked about how their children have dealt with spirituality in times of distress parents responded that:

“When they are younger they accept things more easily. Now they have more questions especially when going through a hard time they lose the understanding of God. They question them in different moments.”
(Malta)

“So they were very shattered. They said, ‘No, we don’t believe that there is any Power. We don’t believe that there is anything….Why did he have to suffer so much then?’ So they questioned. They do doubt. ‘Is there something called ‘good karma’ or do your good deeds have some kind of bearing on what you suffer or what you don’t suffer?’ So they do question. And then you have to give explanations which soothe or which reinforce their faith.” India)

For parents it was important to recognize that children are going to question their faith in difficult times and that it is crucial that parents are there to provide guidance and support to their children.

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