If your child...

[heidimoose134]

grows up to have different views of the world, different ideological beliefs, and/or even different religious beliefs (or lack thereof), how would you handle this? Would you be proud that they have challenged what they've been taught, worried that they were somehow brainwashed... frustrated, proud??? 

I stated in another thread that if one or both of my boys grew up and thought exactly like me that I would be worried. But I have to admit if one of them became a polar opposite of me I would have a very hard time getting along with them!! lol

[romalove]

 My kids are individuals, and very different from me and each other.  My son is a practical, hardworking, smart but academics hating, shoot from the hip kind of guy.  My middle child, a daughter, has a BA in English, is very conservative and straightlaced, and is much more traditional than I am.  My youngest one is a free-spirited musician and vegetarian, much more liberal than I am, questioning everything and very much into her artistic world.

I never dictated and think if I had they would have become who they are anyway, because that's who they are.  I don't think you can affect personality as much as you can mold values. 

[Mortiferouslatt]

It won't bother me if my son grows up to have different beliefs than I do. To an extent at four he already does. I'm agnostic, practically athiest and his father considers himself pagan but my son believes in God and talks about Jesus etc. I take him to the unity church up the street from our house because they are open minded and he enjoys the spin meditation etc. I grew up Christian so I don't push him to believe one way or another. I have different views than my republican socially conservative parents but it hasn't negatively affected my relationship with them. I intend on being accepting with my son the way they have with me.

[Momniscient]

This.

I have young children and I try not to harbor illusions.

Quoting Sisteract:

They have.

I am proud of who each one of them has become.

Children are not possessions-

I tend to LOL at those with young kids who believe that they alone control or can dictate outcomes-

[punky3175]

My kids do form their own opinions. I'll be proud of them for following their own paths. I think the only thing I'd have a problem with is if they became close minded or racist. I believe I've done a decent enough job raising them that that won't happen.

[cjsbmom]

I would respect their beliefs, because they would be adults.

[EireLass]

My kids did not grow up to be me :o)

My kids have always been very independant thinkers. Leaders, not followers. They are very open minded, which lays the path for great creativity....which has boosted them in their careers. They were brought up with particular religious/spiritual beliefs. They have walked away from that, though not completely, just not to the depths they were brought up.

I'm fine with who they've turned out to be. I'm very proud of who and what they are. They're 31 & 29 now.

[Kaelaasmom]

I would be proud of her. My husband and I believe that we are raising a future adult who will have to think for herself. If that thinking brings her to different conclusions, good for her.

[FrogSalad]

Quoting Sisteract:

They have.

I am proud of who each one of them has become.

Children are not possessions-

I tend to LOL at those with young kids who believe that they alone control or can dictate outcomes-

Me too.  Or those that think they have control over what their children think. 

Good luck with that.

[kailu1835]

 I would be proud of them regardless of their world-view.

[randi1978]

My daughter isn't even 9 yet and we have such different points of view over things, it's nuts sometimes.  She believes in god, I do not.  She stands firm in her opinions or arguments regarding household issues.  If she feels I am wrong, she lets me know, LOL.

My parents do not like it.  They believe that kids should say and do as their parents believe and be little carbon copies.  I didn't raise a clone of me, I am raising a new person.  My mother couldn't handle the fact that I ended up nothing like her and seeing that her grandbaby is nothing like me is making it worse, I think.