Elias and I are reading Bible stories together each day for his Lenten discipline. I had actually started doing that as soon as we got home from the hospital, but it got difficult to read longer stories to him when he could wiggle and move around himself. The first month or so he would just lay there in my arms and listen to me read. Then it got too frustrating to try reading him anything but very short board books that he could also chew on. He just doesn’t have the attention span yet. I thought that lent would be a good time to get back in the habit of reading Bible stories with him.
Today we read a few stories about Jesus’ early life. It was interesting how Elias’ bible kind of glossed over King Herod’s evil deeds. It just said he was very angry when the wise men did not come back to see him and that he wanted to be the only King of the Jews. Then it said that an angel warned Joseph to take his family into hiding and there is a picture of some pyramids. Nathan and I wonder….when is it appropriate for a child to know the whole story? We will presumably be reading from this Bible for at least a few years, and he will hopefully learn the stories by heart. It will break my heart to teach him about the evilness of man.