His Holiness Pope Shenouda III presents a comprehensive and deep vision for child care, beginning even before birth and continuing through every developmental stage. He emphasizes that the child is “a soft clay” in the hands of the parents, and that spiritual, emotional, and psychological formation from the beginning determines the child’s future path. The lecture carries an Orthodox pastoral spirit that places love, example, and inner peace as foundations for successful upbringing.

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1. Caring for the child before birth

• Care begins while the child is still a fetus.

• The mother’s physical and psychological state directly affects the child.

• Stress or tension during pregnancy may leave later impacts on the child.

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2. Post-birth upbringing: preserving the righteousness given through baptism

• A child receives purity in baptism, and the family must preserve this purity.

• During early childhood, the child is easily shaped and learns mainly by example.

• Prayer, the sign of the cross, psalms, hymns, and early memorization teach faith through imitation, not theory.

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3. Love as the basis of upbringing

• A child needs deep love from home, relatives, the Church, and society.

• Lack of emotional love leads children to seek affection in harmful places.

• Love is not spoiling, but wise, respectful, and balanced care.

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4. Upbringing without harshness or spiritual mistakes

• One should not fix a mistake by creating another, such as scaring the child in God’s name or lying.

• Positive reinforcement should be used instead of constant rebuke.

• The “replacement policy”: replacing a wrong habit with a good one.

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5. The importance of play, gifts, and joy

• Play is essential for healthy growth.

• Gifts, stories, and humor create trust and comfort.

• Stories are a strong educational method that children remember long-term.

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6. Community influence after age five

• After entering school, the child becomes influenced by society and needs greater protection.

• Parents must provide positives while resisting societal negatives like bad language or harmful ideas.

• Family, Church, and school share responsibility.

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7. Friendship between the child and the parents

• The child must feel safe to confess mistakes without fear of punishment.

• Trust is built through honesty; parental lies destroy credibility.

• Lack of affection may lead to emotional or spiritual deviations.

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8. Spiritual guidance within the family

• A parent can be a spiritual guide if trust and wisdom are present.

• History shows saints who received their spiritual formation within the family.

• If this guidance is missing, the Church continues the role through Sunday School and the confessor father.

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9. Delivering the faith to children

• Childhood is the “stage of simple faith.”

• Children believe whatever they are told without complication.

• Faith is delivered through example, imitation, and simple answers—not theological explanations.

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