Why Do Kids Loose Faith?

"I used to believe . . ."
- Did the Easter Bunny really lay colored eggs?
- Can Reindeer Fly?
- How come Santa is in so many places at the same time?
- Why doesn't Santa retire to Florida like my grandparents did?

Find out why children grow up believing (or misbelieving?) from their parents, teachers, friends and television. Some is pretty funny, others are a bit sad. Take a look - Check out "Kids Beliefs"

Question: "How old were you when you found out, there is no Santa Claus?"
Answer: "What do you mean, 'there's No Santa Claus??'"

We asked young people what things their parents and teachers taught them to believe...

When I was a kid, I had a lot of questions about Christmas, like, "How does Stanta come to children who live in houses with no chimney?" And when I came running home from school crying: "Mom, the kids at school said there is no Stanta Claus." Without even looking up at me, she said: "Don't tell your little sister".

When I asked my dad where milk came from he said, "White cows", And when I asked about chocolate milk, he told me: "From brown cows."
Terrance

The Easter Bunny's Classified Source for Eggs?
I was only 8 years old when I asked my dad the big question about the 'Easter Bunny' - "Where does the Easter Bunny get his colored eggs?"
My dad said: "This is a very interesting question, so ask your mom when she comes home."
When mom came home I asked her the same question. She said: "This is a very impressive question, so you must ask your teacher at school."
So, I asked my teacher where the Easter Bunny got his colored eggs from. She said, "That is a very curious question and you should ask the priest at church about it."
Next Sunday, after church I asked the priest where the 'Easter Bunny' got his colored eggs from.
"This is a very complicated question. You must ask the bishop when he comes because he is higher up than me."
After several weeks the bishop was in town and I waited for a long time for the right chance to ask my question. Finally, I found him on the walkway outside the church.
"Sir," I began, "Could you tell me where the Easter Bunny gets the colored eggs from?"
He replied, "This is a very serious question. Have you asked anyone else?"
"Yes, I asked my dad and he said it was a very interesting question, and for me to ask my mom. She said it was a very impressive question, and told me to ask my teacher, and she said it was a very curious question, and to ask the priest. The priest said it was a very complicated question and to ask you because you are higher up than he is."
"I see," said the Bishop, "Well, you see the Easter Bunny and his colored eggs are not actually mentioned in the Bible."
"Wow!" I shouted, "This means my question is so interesting, impressive, curious, complicated, serious that it is not even in the Bible. So it means the place where Easter Bunny gets the colored eggs from is someplace classified right?"
"Ahh, yeah, that's right. So, one day when you do find out where the Easter Bunny really gets the eggs from, don't tell anybody."
Good advice, I did find out and I am still not going to tell anyone.
Fran

While riding in the car with my dad I noticed a lot of birds were jumping out in front of our car and flying away. I asked why birds did this. He said it was a game all birds play, like the game 'chicken'. If a bird made it across the street, he wins. But if he gets hit, he looses and dies.
Now I am 19 and I still don't really know the answer to why birds fly out in front of cars. But when I see them do it and "win", I still congratulate them.
Active Image
Mattie

Three is One & One is Three
Our priest at Lady of the Lake Church school taught us God was three and one at the same time (trinity). They said there was no difference in the One God and the Three who were Father, Son and spirit.
So, when I failed my math test, I tried to argue saying they should not mark any of my answers wrong if either a "one" or a "three" could have been the correct answer; after all, "One and three are the same thing." (It didn't work, and I got in trouble. Oh well, it was worth a try.)
Coleen.

When I was a small child people told me you could hatch an egg and get a chicken out of it if you sit on it like a hen. You can imagine what our sofa looked like after a dozen tries at being a surrogate mommy chicken.
Elizabeth

Speaking of Eggs -
A preacher tried to explain to me and my small sister what he called the "Simple concept of Trinity".
Using the example of an "Apple being like the three parts of the Holy Trinity", he said, "The skin of the apple is "one" and the white part inside is "one" and the center part with the seeds is "one" and all of these three parts go together to make the whole apple - "And these three are one!"
I had to laugh when my little sister asked him: "How many seeds are in the apple? Or do you count them? And what if it has a worm in it? Do you count that too?"
The preacher made a quick comeback with another example - the egg:
"Nevermind the apple, let's use the egg. The egg has three things that all make in one egg. There is the outer shell, that's one; and the white part inside the shell, that's one; and the yellow part inside the white part, that's one; and all three of these make one egg. Got it?"
Just as I was about to agree, my little sister asked, "What if the egg has double yoke (two yellow centers)? Does that make it four is the same as one? And what about if the egg is rotten and smells bad?"
I was trying not to laugh when the preacher said: "NO! Forget the apple, forget the egg - God is like the water; when it is ice, it is a solid. Right? And when the ice thaws out, it is water, a liquid. Right? And then when the water is heated it turns to a gas and goes up into the cloud. Right? So, ice is a solid; water is a liquid; steam is a gas and all of it is still from the same thing and these three are one."
This time I watched my little sister while she was looking up in the sky thinking about what the preacher had just told us.
"So when the cloud turns the gas into water, how come it doesn't come down in one big splash instead of millions of small drops? Does that mean God can break up into millions of pieces too? And how could the water be all three things at the same time? Would that make God only One thing at the same time?"
He replied: "You are just a child and you can't understand the complexity of the simplicity of God's Trinity because it is just too simple for your complex young mind."
"That's OK. Don't worry about us, "replied my little sister, "We don't need to know how three can be one or one can be three, and we don't need a god that can have a worm in it or be rotten, or fall from the sky in tiny parts. We are OK with just One God - without any gods besides Him. Anyway, that's the First Commandment, you know?"

O Well, as they say, "From the mouths of babies comes great wisdom" (I love my little sis)
Terrance


Road Runners?
Before we moved to Arizona, the only Roadrunners I had seen were on Bugs Bunny cartoons. When I grew up my husband and I had moved out to the western part of the United States and I saw a farm with "roadrunners" on it.
I asked him, "I thought roadrunners were purple?"
He said, "Oh, that's just on TV."
OK, I thought, "So roadrunners are not purple. But why were those roadrunners back there so large?"
Then he showed me a postcard with a real roadrunner on it and said, "This is a roadrunner. Those were Emus."
Television - I think it is false advertising.
Victoria

Double Crossed?
Jesus was the focus of our family life as I was growing up. The images of the crucifixtion were everywhere. Jesus carrying his cross and being nailed to it was our belief. One day someone asked me, "If someone killed your kid with a pistol, would you wear a miniture gun around your neck?" I said, "No way, man". He said, "Then why do you have all of these images of the cross everywhere?" Hmmmm, good question.
Leon

My mom told me there was a "knife sharpening man" who went around the neighborhood sharpening knives for people to use to kill little kids who ask him for ice cream. Please, whatever you do, DON'T ASK HIM FOR ICE CREAM!" I was horrified and never did I ask the knife sharpening man for ice cream. By the way, the rest of the kids heard his bells and went to him for ice cream, because they thought he was the ice cream man.
Amy

In your heart?
I was raised Catholic, and had the idea of "inviting Jesus into your heart" but was a bit confused about this. They said, "He knocks all the time and when you answer he comes inside of your heart."
The symbolism of this was lost on me, because I was always trying to "Kick Jesus out" of my heart right before I would do something bad. I would tell him to leave and when I was done with my mischief, I would say, "All right, Jesus, you can come back in now."
This went on for many years.
Mark

I used to believe royal people like kings, queens and dukes had new spoons for every bite of food they ate and never had to use the same silverware twice. I counted how many bites I took at meals and thought of how many spoons or forks a queen needed to eat one meal, and how many in a day. I still wonder if this might be true?
Betty

I was told: "Jesus died for your sins", I asked: "What sins?, I didn't do anything?", And the preacher said: "All children are born guilty and in sin."
Then one day my mom was looking at a woman's little girl and said: "She is so sweet and angelic, innocent as a new born baby", I said: "Mom, don't you know, babies are guilty as sin?"
Leroy

Oops - these ducks are quacking up
"I was told this when I was younger all brown ducks were female, and green and grey ducks were male. I believed it and did not find out until after growing up, these were two different kinds of ducks.
Am I stupid or are my parents, for making me believe this?"
Zaki

Our teacher told us: "School is only for education and no place for anything about religion, it just doesn't belong in school". So, I figured that must be why you don't have to make sense when you add up the Trinity. You know, one plus one, plus one, plus one, still equals one.
For sure you fail that one on a math test.
Sandy

When I was little I found a tiny robin's egg in our yard. I thought all eggs came from bird's but since this one didn't look like them and was so pretty and blue, I thought it came from the tiny blue flowers it was laying close to!
Greg

"Chicken Feathers"
My parents used to humor me when I was little, I used to try and grow chickens by 'planting' their feathers in the ground and they would come out and water them everyday for me.
Matt

I was taught to believe an owl can turn his head all the way around forever without pain. I could not figure out how they did it. Maybe I saw it in a cartoon on TV. Who knows?
Arthur

When I turned 8 years old, I wanted a small parakeet bird. My mom and I made a list of things the bird would need. But I wondered why a bird needs a "cuddle fish". It was a long time before I learned the word was "cuttle fish" and it was a stone for the bird to keep his beak sharp by rubbing it.
Teresa

My dad use to tell me: "If you point at things, you are poking holes in the air and the angels and birds will trip over these holes. So, don't point."
Alex

Our church really pushed the idea of "Jesus had to die for your sins, because he was totally and completely innocent". When I got caught putting garbage in the neighbor's mail box, I cried out to my mom as she was about to whip me: "Why don't you punish my little brother? Can't you see, he is totally innocent?" - It didn't work and now I am wondering if it would really work on the Day of Judgment. I doubt it.
Kylie

We were told if you sprinkle salt on a bird's tail he can't fly and you can catch him and keep him. But now I think it comes from an expression saying: "If you are close enough to put salt on a bird's tail, you might as well catch it."
Kathy

At age 17 my sister thought another name for a bird's nest was "pigeon hole".
Brad

bridgetofaith website

Written by Kids Page Editor
Sunday, 07 October 2007