Why am I so passionate about Babies in the Word

I read an article a while back that said a child's brain is 85% developed by the time they are 5 years old. This is why the first 5 years of a child's life are critical to childhood development. Another article shares that the long term impact on children within those first 5 years, both positive and negative, show in their futures, as adults in ways of health and success -or not.

Even now, typing those few sentences ties a knot in my stomach and pulls my heart in a whirlwind of direction. The first 5 years of a child's life are critical to childhood development. This is why we are inundated with child development models of play and learning to stimulate the child's brain and encourage healthy growth. Pinterest is full of sensory bins and dexterity games, fine motor skill learning, alphabet, numbers, colors & shapes, seasons... I could go on. We put our children in daycare and in PreK to give them a good head start on learning so they will be set up for success when they arrive for their first day of Kindergarten. We want them to be smart and kind, learn how to share and say please and thank you. We want them to be potty trained at 2 years old, learn to recognize and write their alphabet in PreK and read in Kindergarten. All of these are good things... Such good, good things. But my friends. Here's where my heart twists in knots... Where do we stand on teaching our babies the Bible? How old must they be before we can introduce them to the love of God? Why are our church nurseries filled with toys and puzzles and set up for babysitting instead of teaching a child to love God and His Word? Why do we feel that we need to wait until they can read and write before we can really give them truth? Why have we decided in our churches, that short attention spans mean unteachable?

Hear me out... If a child's brain is 85% developed by the time they are 5 years old, and the seeds of a healthy, successful life are planted in the earliest years, shouldn't these years be also the most critical in a child's spiritual development? Church, what are we doing? Not only should we be training our children in the age group where it arguably matters most, but we should be discipling parents to do the same at home. In real, tangible ways.

Our world is falling apart. Quite literally and before our eyes. Our babies need Jesus more than they need anything else. We have no time to lose. My heart's prayer and hope is that churches and families both will take back the spiritual growth of these little ones as we work together to raise up a generation who love the Lord with their whole heart, soul, mind and strength.

This is where Babies in the Word was birthed. Out of a heart of passion and love for both God, His Word, and small children.

I have 4 babies, aged 4 and under. More than anything, I want them to love Jesus. Ultimately, yes, it's going to be God who gives them Himself. And He can do that without me, sure. But, He gifted me with these incredible tiny humans for a reason, and I want to use my role and responsibility as their mother for His glory to raise them as best I can - with His help - to love Him.

ps... I have no idea how to blog, or do social media, or operate a business. None of this will be as neat and tidy as maybe it could or should be, but here goes nothing...