For the Love of WUU Kids and Teens

by Robin Jester Wootton, Director of Religious Education

When I started working with children's programs, years ago, soon after becoming a mom myself, I developed a philosophy that seems to fit really well with Unitarian Universalism. I didn’t know that then, but it has held up over the years and I’ve watched it at work here at WUU. That philosophy is that we are all learners and we are all teachers, no matter what age you are. I deeply believe that in many ways, my kids are teaching me every bit as much as I teach them. When I listen, when I observe, when I give them space to create and move and struggle and discover, I too am drawing from their wisdom wells. They are born with them, these wells of deep learning and knowledge, from some far off magical place, and that they inherently feel and I, as the parent, sometimes just need to get out of their way, and they’ll find it faster and easier and in stunningly beautiful ways. 

With every passing year, I learn more from my kids. I follow their leads. They are fully people with their own minds and interests and hearts. It’s such a great honor to be their mom. It’s humbling and sobering, taking the role seriously, while also letting go of the sometimes overwhelming pressure to control and overschedule their development that some people in society say is the best and most right way to raise children. I have a different approach. I love opening doors and letting kids choose which ones to walk through. 

This year in the Religious Education programs at WUU, we are learning to love and loving to learn. We’re building on the foundation of knowing who we are, that we belong here, and that we are safe to explore. We are incredibly grateful for our RE Committee members who help steer the programs and our dedicated teachers and volunteers who make it all happen Sunday mornings. I am incredibly honored to lead this team in supporting a lifelong journey for our learners at every age.

For me, it’s about creating opportunities, offering spaces where we can access tools and resources, being open to wherever the questions take us, and not being afraid. Too much of “religious” learning in some traditions leans on fear. Fear of failure. Fear of not measuring up. Fear of the unknown. Fear of the darkness, or what may seem dark at first. Fear of changes. Fear of what others think. It is important to name our fears, even out loud, to have power over them.

Fear is a driver, a force that can make us take drastic turns and overcorrect. While healthy fear can protect us at times, we also model to our kids how we deal when we’re afraid. We help them know how to overcome fear that attempts to control us, manipulate us, lie to us. And how do we deal with fears? 

We cast out fear with love. Love of truth, love of neighbor, love of what is good and just. Love of the magical and mystical, love of knowledge and the pursuit of learning. These loves make good guides. These loves drive out our fears and put them in their right places. Fear can be a harsh teacher, but it can work hand in hand with Love, being guided by Hope and Possibility. We learn to explore and discover things we may never have before. And when this learning happens in safe spaces, there’s no end to the possibilities.

There is a lot we can be afraid of these days. It’s easy to get weighed down with some of the current political and social climate, and worry about the future. But we also have the opportunity to model for ourselves and for our kids how to rise above the fears, show them what we do when we’re afraid and how we can work together to learn, to name our fears and to love more fiercely than ever before.