Reimagining children’s spirituality: reflections on life as a practical theologian

During graduate school, I birthed three children and miscarried another. The experience of simultaneously parenting, studying theology, and pastoring churches challenged and reshaped my thinking about children’s spirituality. I began to question the religious anthropology inherited from my faith tradition, as well as traditional child development theories that didn’t cohere with my own observations. I conducted a review of Protestant children’s ministry literature in the United States and was unsettled by the paternalistic tone and lack of spiritual agency afforded kids under 12. This prompted me to switch academic fields and immerse myself in the study and practice of children’s spiritual nurture. From the writing of my book Real Kids Real Faith in 2004 to my current reflections about everyday spirituality on my website of the same name, I have spent my career reimagining how children’s spirituality looks, sounds, and acts for real children and their families.