Like a Little Child: The Spiritual Journey of Infants and Toddlers

By Rose Tooley Gamblin

Like a Little Child, is written with the belief
that most addictive and high-risk behaviors
can be avoided if we understand and take
action to support and nurture the spirituality
of the young child. Research has proven that
all addictions stem back to a low sense of selfworth.
This book is a call to action to support
and nurture the childs spirituality, because
we know it is the essence of a childs state of
well beinga positive authentic sense of
self-worth. Spirituality is the platform that
everything else, physical and mental, rests
upon. This book is for anyone who has had a
child, will have a child, or has been a child.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Nov 29, 2010
• ISBN: 9781462810307

Book preview

Copyright © 2010 by Rose Tooley Gamblin.

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other), except for the brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

This book was

Edited by Cathy Jackson

Copy Edited by Paul Tooley Sr

Cover Photo by Mike Gamblin from MRG Photography

Content Photos by Mike Gamblin and Cathy Jackson

This book was printed in the United States of America.

The author assumes full responsibility for the accuracy of all facts and quotations as cited in this book.

Other Books by Rose Gamblin

Baby Moses

Joash the Boy King

Esther the Brave Queen

King David

Life Skills Curriculum

The Pew Rental Dilemma

Visit us at www.drrosegamblin.com or call 1-301-824-3162

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

84429

Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1

Learning about God

2

Learning about Creation

3

Learning about Life

4

Learning about Eternal Life

5

Orphaned, Adoption, and Special Needs

Bibliography

In Loving Memory of

Melba Grace Tooley

Foreword

This manuscript—Like a Little Child: The Spiritual Journey of Infants and Toddlers—is part of the growing conversation on spirituality and the young child. Dr. Gamblin uses a qualitative approach and empirical research to better understand the spiritual indicators for the young child. As I read Like a Little Child, I realized again the most basic component of any relationship is that of trust. Trust in another’s care; trust in another’s love. It is trust that makes one feel safe and secure. It is trust that brings contentment. It is trust that gives us a sense of our own self-worth and allows us to value those around us as well as to empathize with another’s plight.

The concept of trust is being taught from the time an infant is born. Will a cry be answered? Will a need be met? Is there comfort to be found? Within the answers to these quests, the infant discovers that trust is only the beginning. Love and acceptance, care and concern, tenderness and contentment, all support the developing personhood of the infant.

As the infant matures into a young toddler, certain behaviors require limit setting. Still, the nurturance of emotions and individual sensitivities helps the child learn about feelings, what they are, and how to handle them.

As the child matures and strives toward autonomy, so do they desire to understand their own thoughts and feelings. This new knowledge helps them understand the thoughts and feelings of others. The family environment assists in teaching how others should be treated as well as the need for reciprocal relationships.

The combination of relationships (Markus & Wurf, 1987 as cited in Lee, 1998), purposeful affective instruction, and a loving, accepting environment (McGuire, 1984 as cited in Lee, 1988) strongly influences the personhood of each child. Through teaching and life-lessons, the child’s worldview and understanding of self is laid. Religious instruction, then, can begin to influence the child’s worldview and understanding of self. All of this occurs before the age of five.

When contemplating the questions and principles regarding the religious instruction of young children, there appears to be some foundational knowledge missing from the writings of researchers and a confusion regarding the difference between religious instruction and spiritual development. Many researchers write about the metaphysical world, the transcendental world, not realizing these are a form of religion even if not specifically tied to a denomination.

The strength behind this argument lies in the fact that one’s spiritual development begins at birth, not as cosmic beings . . . united with angelic and other spiritual beings (Trostli, 1998), but as immature humans who must learn to trust those around them. Perhaps defining the differences between religious instruction and spiritual development would be beneficial.

First of all, the religious instruction is very different from the spiritual development of a child. Religious instruction is just that—instruction in one’s set of religious beliefs. Spiritual development, though, is a more esoteric concept. Spiritual development involves the integration of one’s beliefs, values, meaning, and self-worth . . . . These are intangible elements, such as beliefs about self and others . . . . Religious beliefs may eventually be part of what a child believes about himself and others, however, it is only one of the many factors that make up spirituality (Gillan, 2007, p. 1, 2).

Understanding the difference between the religious instruction and spiritual development of a young child will go a long way in helping to understand how to foster the child’s spiritual development. It will also help to inform and guide the process for those who deliver religious instruction.

The topic of a child’s spirituality will keep us writing, researching, and speaking for many years to come. There are so many facets and implications: Healthy moms/unhealthy moms; stable homes/unstable homes; supportive fathers/abusive and neglectful fathers. For now, we will be content to share what is currently known and look eagerly for new data, new knowledge, and new ways of presenting truth.

Thank you, Rose, for this insightful look into the young child’s need for spiritual nurture and support.

Christine Gillan Byrne, Ed. D.

Young Child Ministries, 2010

Thousand Oaks, CA

For more than twenty years Dr. Byrne has been actively involved in the early childhood field as a teacher, director, multi-site administrator, and leader in early childhood policy development. She holds a B.S. degree in early childhood education, a M.A. in early childhood special education, and an Ed.D. in educational administration and leadership. Currently, she provides leadership and consulting to faith-based early childhood professionals (and parents) around the world through articles and speaking appointments.

Acknowledgments

It is with deep appreciation that I acknowledge the ones who have participated in this qualitative study—Andy, Wendy, Roddy, RaeRae, Sydney, Ryker, Victoria, Andelena, Courtney T., Courtney B., Robby, Justin, Katie, Jeremy, Traiden, Lucy, Jenna, Graciana, Tyce, and James. It was from their stories and the many day-to-day experiences that the themes emerged of what spirituality was for the young child.

No manuscript becomes a book without the concerted effort of a number of people. I would like to thank:

•   Paul Tooley Sr.,