Contents
Chapter One Personal Reflections
Navigating Around the Dinner Table
Julia Sweeney
Thinking My Way to Adulthood
Norm R. Allen, Jr.
Growing Up Godless: How I Survived Amateur Secular Parenting
Emily Rosa
I’d Rather Play Outside
Anne Nicol Gaylor
My Father’s House
Dan Barker
Passing Down the Joy of Not Collecting Stamps
Penn Jillette
Chapter Two Living with Religion
Parenting in a Secular/Religious Marriage
Pete Wernick, Ph.D.
On Being Religiously Literate
Rev. Dr. Roberta Nelson
Choosing Your Battles
Stu Tanquist
Teaching Children to Stand on Principle—Even When the Going Gets Tough
Margaret Downey
Secular Schooling
Ed Buckner, Ph.D.
Chapter Three Holidays and Celebrations
Humanist Ceremonies
Jane Wynne Willson
Losing the “Holy” and Keeping the “Day”
Dale McGowan, Ph.D.
To Easter Bunny or Not to Easter Bunny?
Noell Hyman
Chapter Four On Being and Doing Good
Morality and Evil
Gareth B. Matthews, Ph.D.
Behaving Yourself: Moral Development in the Secular Family
Jean Mercer, Ph.D.
Take Two Tablets and Call Me in the Morning
Edgar “Yip” Harburg
On Being Good for Good Reasons: Commandments vs. Principles
David Koepsell, JD, Ph.D.
Chapter Five Values and Virtues, Meaning and Purpose
Double Vision: Teaching Our Twins Pride and Respect
Shannon and Matthew Cherry
Seven Secular Virtues: Humility, Empathy, Courage, Honesty, Openness, Generosity, and Gratitude
Dale McGowan, Ph.D.
Supporting Your Children in Their Quest for the Meaning of Life!
Donald B. Ardell, Ph.D.
What Your Kids Won’t Learn in School
Annie Laurie Gaylor
A Sixty-Second Reckoned Roll of Freethinkers Historical
Dale McGowan, Ph.D.
Parenting and the Arts
James Herrick
Chapter Six Death and Consolation
Before and After
Yip Harburg
The End, As We Know It
Noell Hyman
Dealing with Death in the Secular Family
Rev. Dr. Kendyl Gibbons
Small Comforts
Yip Harburg
Chapter Seven Wondering and Questioning
Little Bessie Would Assist Providence
Mark Twain
Thoughts on Raising a Curious, Creative, Freethinking Child
Robert E. Kay, MD
The Family Road Trip: Discovering the Self Behind My Eyes
Amy Hilden, Ph.D.
Chapter Eight Jaw-Dropping, Mind-Buzzing Science
Teaching Kids to Yawn at Counterfeit Wonder
Dale McGowan, Ph.D.
Natural Wonders
Amanda Chesworth
We’ve Come a Long Way, Buddy
Yip Harburg
The Idea That Changed the World
Kristan Lawson
Chapter Nine Seeking Community
Building the Secular Community—However Slowly
Pete Wernick, Ph.D.
Summer Camp Beyond Belief
Amanda K. Metskas and August E. Brunsman IV
Let’s Get Organized
Bobbie Kirkhart