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How To Raise An Interfaith Baby…Sorta

January 30, 2013 by Patrick Beaulier

smile kisses in the tub

When I explained to my Rabbi the ONE and only thing that would stop me from not converting would be
if he told me to divorce my husband he sort of laughed at me. In a very nice and respectable way, he’s
a great guy honestly, but he did still chuckle a little. I mean, it happened. I know there are some Rabbi‘s
out there that would be all H-E-DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS NO, to the girl with a semi Christian hubs who
wants to become Jewish, and maybe you had one yourself. All I can tell you is I lucked out with this
dude.

The one thing he did tell me though, was that I should raise my son, and future babies who won’t be
around for MANY MANY years to come, in the Jewish faith. Obviously I expected my Rabbi to tell me
this, I mean dudes isn’t that his job? He told me though that while most people would be worried about
the religion becoming extinct if no one took it observantly, he was really worried about making my
children decide a big decision like that on their own.

Again, we’re a really lucky case in that my Hubs isn’t a strong observant anything, and so it’s not like
there ever would have been a problem with choosing over Christmas or Hanukkah. He won’t have to choose
mommy’s views over Daddy’s. At least not about this. He WILL be expected to chose a side on the great
comic book debate. That’s just final. (And I’m SURE he’ll choose DC over Marvel. I have high hopes!)

So I guess REALLY the way to raise an “inter faith baby” is to not. Not helpful is it? Well let me leave you
with this. In the beginning my thought was to let my little dude to chose. It was too big of a thought
process for me. I mean it’s HIS life after all. I wanted him to be in charge of it. I had every intention of
raising him as just a baby, who kept Kosher and celebrated holidays with me. Then it dawned on me, if
it’s too big of a decision, why would I leave that to him? So I asked him. I sat him down with his juice and
some goldfish crackers and said “Hey dude, you wanna be Jewish?” And you’ll never guess what he said
to me.

I’ll help with your anticipation, because he screamed “PUMBA!” in my face and ate some more crackers.
Case closed. Little man is WAY too little to make decisions like that for himself, and so I have to put my
big girl pants on (what a weird saying huh?) and be the mom. The kind who has to raise him the way she
sees fit.

Jacqueline D. is a 20something stupid new converting noob, who likes comic books, nail polish, and will be your best friend if you buy her a slushy. Most of her life is spent over at Mother Morpher where she blogs sometimes.

Filed Under: Jewish Kids Tagged With: convert to judaism, convert to judaism online, darshan yeshiva, interfaith family, jewish conversion family, jewish parent, jewish parenting, mother morpher, online conversion, patrick "aleph" beaulier, patrick aleph, punktorah, rabbi beaulier, rabbi patrick aleph beaulier

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