Being a UU Mom

My name is Jennifer Blosser and I am like the hundreds of others out there who stumbled into a Unitarian Universalist church only to discover that I've always been a Unitarian Universalist my whole life! My husband and I are now members of the church and are raising our three children as full-blooded UU kids... whatever that means. Lacking a real creed or doctrine beyond "love everyone," it is sometimes difficult to know exactly how to be a spiritually nurturing parent in the UU tradition. The UUA has some marvelous resources for teaching Unitarian Universalism outside of the church's own Religious Education (RE) Program. Of course, this is all wonderful and useful, but often it is through bonding with fellow UU parents that one benefits the most.

To me, being a UU mom is all about finding a part of myself that is able to grow and develop right alongside my children. I must put aside prejudices or fears that formed within me when I was a child and learn to grow with an open heart so that I can teach my kids to do the same. I must reject the lofty claim that I now know (or have ever known) the Truth so that I can learn to accept all the Truths and share them with my children. I must shake off my inhibitions and push aside my doubts to that I can experience hope and imbibe my children's hearts with that emotion. It's not always easy, and often I falter, but the beauty of being a UU mom is knowing that the very mistakes I make are merely stepping stones to my success.

When I talk to other UU moms, the thing we all seem to have in common right off the bat is a desire to provide our children with the ability and confidence to choose their own spiritual path in life. This goal is what drives many to join a UU church in the first place! With such an amazing RE program that offers insight to so many spiritual traditions, it's no wonder that it's commonplace for families to attend church for the sake of their kids long before the parents even recognize how vital the church is to their own lives. UU parents are people who want to set their children free and empower them to find peace and meaning in life on their own terms rather than dictate the Truth to their kids as it was dictated to them years before. This incredible desire is in and of itself an enormous challenge.

However, the UU church is more than capable of supporting those who rise to that challenge. Within the greater family of the church, all families can find the support they need on this lifelong quest. As for the UU mom, she will find her power in teaching her children as she learns herself. The examples she sets for her kids will come from the experiences of her mistakes and the rapture of her successes. She is blemished and she has faltered, and yet in her imperfections lies her perfection. Being a UU mom is recognizing that to truly nurture your child's spirituality, you must accept that you are still learning about your own.

- Jennifer Blosser -