In This House...

 In this house we do Dreidels. Santa. Matzo. Easter Bunnies. Hearts. Leprechauns. Fireworks. Pumpkins. Pilgrims. Family... 

This weekend brings our family two holidays that I will hard boil dozens of eggs for.  First we will have them at our Passover table and then we will color them!  In December you will find a Menorah lit in our front window right in front of our Christmas Tree. My wish to everyone year after year is "Happy Mixed Up Holidays...From A Happy Mixed Up Family"  In our household we have learned many things about religion from Judaism to Christianity.  Thirty years ago I met an amazing man and fell in love.  One problem, he wasn't jewish.  It was always in the back of my mind that I would marry a jewish man because, well, that's what my parents, grandparents and society made me believe.  As the years went by, and we fell more in love, Eric and I figured out that religion would not stop us.  Love, Strength, and Happiness, that is what was important.  Let me add though that I consider myself extremely lucky that Eric was so open as to how we raised our children!

If you feel deeply about something, you make it work.  Our parents and grandparents were completely supportive, as I am sure they were also a little uncertain as to how we would make this work.  As the years went on I found that there were many interfaith families among us. There were synagogues that welcomed families like ours and reached out to the non-jewish spouse to help them learn through the years.

Raising kids with parents of two religions is challenging at the very least.  If my husband was going to be supportive to help me bring up our kids jewish, I wanted him to enjoy the things that he grew up with.  Therefore we did raise our kids jewish, yet we went to church on Christmas and Easter as well as creating many traditions and memories around those holidays.  Being in an interfaith marriage we have found is a lot of give and take.

 We have instilled all of the tools in our kids to live a full jewish life.
Bris. B'nai Mitzvahs. High Holidays.
Hebrew School. Camp. Israel. Chupahs...

Young kids will just go with what their mom and dad are teaching and think nothing of it...Going poop on the potty is something learned just as being jewish is...hence my "Out of the mouths of babes 2" on the right sidebar of my blog...True conversation between a 5 year old and a 3 year old.  But as your kids grow they will begin to see things differently and in their own light.  My daughter married the man she fell in love with just like I did, and he is not jewish either.  Once again...Love, Strength, Happiness...  They will learn together to balance what is important to each of them, then together instill that into their own children.  Jake took in everything that we taught him but I was never sure how he really felt until last week.  As I have said before, he is at basic training for 8 weeks and we got to talk to him last Sunday.  Sadie asked what he did that day and he said it was "Grilled Cheese and Jesus day."  We all had to laugh a little at what he called it but deep down  I thought, well good, he is getting a bit of g-d in his life and who cares how.  Then he proceeded to tell us that he took several friends that he met to Shabbat services on Friday night.  Who knew that there would be Shabbat services on an Air Force base!  I guess lighting Shabbat candles every Friday night left an impression  :)   Sadie had her Bat Mitzvah just last year, so she has a while yet until she will have to truly figure things out without Eric and I.  You can teach your kids about everything you believe, but ultimately the way they live their lives is a decision that they will make.  They will take it upon themselves and may take a different view on religion and life.  You may or may not see eye to eye, just as our parents did not always do, but giving your kids your blessing...that is what will mean the most.  You have done your job raising them, teaching them, and supporting them, (which will never stop) but now it's up to you to trust they will take what they have learned and live a happy life.  Because you know what?  No matter what the circumstances, everyone has
happy mixed up holidays with their happy mixed up family!

Christmas Trees                         Haggadahs                          and Santa