attachment parenting and building our kid's relationship with God

why it's important to introduce your kids to God and regular church attendance.

i have parented conventionally.  and i have parented in a more attached manner. 
i was thinking of the difference at church one sunday this month.
i tthought back to when something odd, different, crazy, loud, bright, fast, or new came into my toddler's sphere of space or attention.  their reaction depended on where they are in relation to me. 
if they were in my arms(or babycarrier/sling), their initial reaction iwas leaning into me.  if they noticed that i was ok with whatever was going on then their secondary reaction was one of curiosity- an intense alert stare, maybe even a smile(if i was smiling) and not an ounce of fear.
if they, however, weren't in my arms- their reaction to something new tended to lean to the fear and panic side of the spectrum.  they were NOT curious.  they were NOT intent on figuring out why this thing is so loud(a train at a crossing during a walk or an automatic toilet in a public restroom), or furry and perhaps slobbery(an unleashed neighborhood dog), or cold (shallow water at the lake). 
they make a beeline to me(and i to them) making a panicked crying "pick-me-up PLEASE" sound.  once they get up into my arms it takes some time and consoling to bring their spirits into a more curious and less fearful state.  and most of the time, by the time they are curious enough to soak in and learn from their surroundings the new thing is gone.

and this is alot like life and our closeness to God. 

when we are close to God- when we communicate with Him often- when He knows our hearts and we live in His, trials aren't so bad.  we lean harder into Him.  we look to Him and realize- "hey, this isn't so bad" and we open our hearts to the trial- and how, maybe there is more than just pain from this trial- maybe there is learning and growing to be gained from this new experience. 
but, on the other hand, if we are far from God- maybe we thought, "hey, i can do this on my own" and took a break from prayer, or going to praise God with other followers, or reading His word in the quiet of the morning.  and BAM- a trial comes along and has you scrambling for something solid to cling to.  where is He???  frantically checking about for Him?  it's hard to build a relationship in a storm.  it's not the time or the place.  it's not impossible- but having that shelter there in place before the storm began to rage would've been more ideal, right?

and this came up while on a walk with my neighbor.  she confessed that they don't go to church and haven't been since their son was born. 
it is hard bringing little kids to church or introducing them to quiet contemplative prayer.  i get that!!!  they don't know what all of it means.  they don't sit still and they make noise.  and the more stressed i get, the more stressed they get.  but it's building blocks.  it's introducing them to their God.  and maybe it isn't pretty- but step back and look at the big picture- it will be.  i have to remember that right now maybe i'm not getting alot of superficial grace and fluffy feelings out of mass and family contemplative prayer but on a deeper more hidden level i'm getting loads.  it doesn't have to be pretty.  it just has to be.  usually remembering that lowers my stress levels quite a bit. 
in stacking these building blocks now, while they are young, i hope to have kids that are attached to God.  kids who, in hard times, aren't scrambling to build a shelter.  kids who lean harder into their Refuge , their Fortress, and their Rock and come out on the other side strong, compassionate, and wise- and not bearing the marks of the world- the frazzled, worried, and stressed.