Philosophy, whether it be philosophy of the many religions, the sciences, or the arts is, IMHO, about wondering and questioning and being curious about life.

Therefore, it seems to me, children, if parents, grandparents and other adult role models are wise enough to just to observe and listen to them, are great philosophers.

Currently, my wife and I are the grandparents of three grandchildren--two granddaughters (18 and 15) and one grandson (11). The 18 year old is in her first year university (science studies). Interesting.

The father is our son (a musician and teacher) and the mother is a Sufi Muslim (an early childhood teacher) and they live twenty minutes drive from us. Since their birth, we have had a wonderful time watching the three children grow and develop. Whether we have succeeded or not, we have made a conscious attmept not to be overbearing grandparents.

ABOUT UNDERSTANDING THE BIBLE, NOT ABOUT BIBLE PUSHING
I don't want to push the Bible at you, but may I say: read from a certain perspective, and as literature, THE bible is a very childlike collection of documents. It certainly is not a book in the conventional sense of the word. No wonder some scholars refer to it as the book(s) of life--life with all its ramifications. And, at times--even from the very beginning--it is about life in the raw.

EARLY FAILURES
As Genesis, which I do not think of as history, plainly shows, the first attempt at establishing an ideal family, in an ideal garden--Eden means a pleasant place--is not all that successful. Jealousy results in murder. Neither is the second attempt--the story of Noah and his family.

THE THIRD ATTEMPT
The third attempt to establish the ideal family is what Christians call the New Testament. It begins with the birth of a child; that child, Jesus, grew up to be interested in philosophy (Luke 2:52).

Although there is no record in the NT that Jesus ever got married, he clearly evaluated children and family life, highly: See Mark 9:33-37. In Mark 10: 13-16, he used childhood to define entrance requirements for getting into the Kingdom of God. In Matthew 11:25 he speaks of the wisdom of the unsophisticated, and he put children at the centre of his message.

G~O~D--Now & ForeverIS:Nature, Nurture & PNEUMA-ture, Thanks to Warren Farr&ME AT www.unitheist.org