By Mary Kizior
In today’s culture, it is not simply enough to hold pro-life convictions in your heart; you must act on those convictions and actively teach your children to distinguish between the culture of life and the culture of death.
Words matter.
At American Life League, we use the word “creation” to describe when human beings begin instead of words like conception or fertilization because creation includes everyone who is created—even those in test tubes and from other means. This is just one example of how we can uphold the dignity and sacredness of human beings with our everyday speech. Not only should we be concerned about the terms we use when teaching and discussing preborn babies with others, but we should always use language that uplifts, not tears down.
The culture of death has masked many nefarious practices with words like “removal of the products of conception” or “death with dignity.” It’s time we reveal the truth by not only calling things as they are—murder of the innocent and defenseless—but we must supercharge our culture with language that upholds the dignity of each person.
The stages of a preborn baby’s life are just the first stages in a lifetime in human development.
Being pro-life is all about the ability to recognize the same dignity in each and every person regardless of age, size, or ability. Don’t shy away from amazing facts and terms that may go over your kids’ heads. Your kindergartener won’t remember all the words related to the development of a preborn baby that you throw at him, but that doesn’t mean you should use euphemisms to disguise what is actually happening inside a mom. Don’t be afraid to use big words, but back up those words with discussion about the size of the baby or about what actions a baby can take at that stage. Redirect your child’s curiosity about where babies come from by explaining that every human being is a gift from God. Let your child hold tiny fetal models and watch our Baby Steps DVD. You will be surprised how much awe and respect a five year old shows for preborn babies.
Don’t just teach about the culture of life during the school day. Continue a culture of life education 24/7.
After your child understands the beauty of preborn babies, it’s time to start talking about other human lives that matter—children, adults, the disabled, the homeless, the terminally ill, etc. Take every opportunity to help your child understand how each person is unique and special and deserves to be protected. One easy way to reinforce these culture-of-life principles is to teach your child using the Culture of Life Studies Program’s Miracle of Life Coloring & Activity Book. This coloring book features pictures of preborn babies to color, but it also highlights the culture of life with the ABCs of Life, showing the value of all human beings. The Miracle of Life Coloring & Activity Book uses stories of pro-life heroes, such as Saint Gianna Molla and Saint John Paul II, to inspire students to become champions for life.
Give the Miracle of Life Coloring & Activity Book to your kids, students in your classroom or CCD class, after-school clubs, homeschool co-ops, family members, and friends. It is a great teaching and evangelization tool you can use throughout Respect Life Month and beyond.
Teaching the culture of life can be difficult without the right resources.
The Culture of Life Studies Program website and print materials are there to help you spread the pro-life message to your children and your community in a kind, loving, and compassionate way. Life Is Precious teaches kids as young as kindergarten about the beauty of preborn babies. CLSP’s new Miracle of Life Coloring & Activity Book makes an excellent visual and kinesthetic companion to our Life Is Precious unit study for elementary students. For older kids, our growing database of pro-life books and movies for all ages recommends popular books and films which hold culture-of-life values in the storyline or characters. Not only will your children be entertained, but these stories and discussions will help foster a deeper understanding of what it means to be pro-life in every aspect of life. Use cultureoflifestudies.com and all.org to help you enhance your curriculum with our free resources and book and movies guides. Sign up for our newsletter to be the first to access our growing collection of free short lessons and resources.
The culture of death has wormed its way through our school system, politics, and the messages we receive through the media. It’s time we fight back by building a culture of life. Together we can pick up the pieces of our broken world and create a new society based on hope and respect for every human being from creation until death.
Mary Kizior is a content developer for American Life League’s Culture of Life Studies Program, which stresses the culture of life as an integral part of every academic discipline. CLSP is dedicated to helping students become effective communicators of the pro-life message. Sign up for our e-mail newsletter to see how we can help you foster a culture of life at home and in school.