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VANESSA TAYLOR
KIDMIN ● SPEAKER ● CURRICULUM WRITER
Hi! I'm Vanessa, the creator of GoYeKids.com, and this is my wonderful husband Daniel.
Believe it or not, in the beginning I wanted NOTHING to do with children's ministry. But now? I fully embrace it as a fundamental part of God's mission and I love EVERY SINGLE SECOND of it!
Click the button below to learn more about my story and about WHY I'm so passionate about helping children's ministry leaders!
!["Stop asking those kinds of questions, you know you're just doing it to cause a distraction."
"You shouldn't be reading anything that could cause you to question your beliefs."
"Oh what, you just don't believe [xyz] now?"
I wish I could say I haven't heard these statements spoken, but I have.
I'm a big believer in encouraging kids to ask questions. Questions cause kids to think about what they believe. Questions lead to answers. Questions lead to deeper understanding of one's beliefs.
I'd rather a kid ask 20 questions every lesson than keep her mouth shut week after week, just accepting everything she's told.
After all, what happens when she hears teaching that is false? If she's been trained to just accept what she's told, why would she question it?
On the other hand, a kid who asks questions is getting practice in critical thinking. He's learning that other people in the world don't always believe what he believes and how to navigate that. He's learning to question what is taught rather than just accepting everything he hears.
He goes to school and learns about evolution, then goes home and asks his parents how that works in the creation story.
He listens to a social media influencer's hot take on scripture, then asks his Sunday School teacher if that's really in the Bible. He learns how to look things up and evaluate what was taught.
Meanwhile, another kid is shamed into not asking questions, so when someone at school asks, "Why don't you [xyz]?" all he can say is, "Because my pastor says so."
Then he turns 18 and has a world of freedoms. He starts to question what he's been taught, but now he's out of his parents' home and may not have a Sunday School teacher he can ask for guidance. Not that he would anyway, because he was always told not to question his beliefs. And anytime he did, he was shamed into silence with accusations of just trying to cause problems.
A young person is better off having a safe space to ask questions, process doubt, and learn how to research what is taught, rather than being instructed to just believe what you're told.
Encourage kids to ask questions.](https://scontent-iad3-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.75761-15/485270479_18401572930103595_753737041498542593_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=101&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=18de74&_nc_ohc=zZ0MZbMz8FsQ7kNvwH0ay8y&_nc_oc=AdnJWSJdv_l7FG-2XHgCtlyikRoJT5MNFMIj6Lcq-y6Di6lsC2mymTJVfpTsHsJZRTQ&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=XJPoq7wETP2vfFlZZK2W9g&oh=00_AfT1Wlqo5vT0wtTsebwhnrIbr5UOPinpFbqbk57iiGJejA&oe=6870FDE3)
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