atheist parenting: connecting.

If you're an atheist parent and, like me, you're always on the hunt for blogs of other atheist parents to read and connect to, you might be interested to check out the Carnival of Atheist Parenting blog. Hosted by Karen at My Own Mind, an atheist homeschool parenting blog, the Carnival of Atheist Parenting is a periodical collection of highlighted atheist parenting bloggers and blog posts. I've just submitted my blog and have been featured on the latest round--I'm hoping the Carnival helps me connect to other atheist parents!

Visit the CAP HERE

Finding other atheist parents to connect to can be just as hard in real life as it is in the blog world. Most of Mr. Epic's and my friends who are also parents are Christians, of varying denominations and degrees of devoutness. While this hasn't been a big deal at all--luckily our Christian friends still share many common values with us and we therefore don't find it hard at all to remain friends despite our differences--it would still be a very different experience if we knew and were friends with many other atheist / secular parents.

Luckily for us, though our atheist parent friends may be few in quantity, they certainly make up for it in quality. My very best friend outside of my husband, who has been there for me through some pretty crazy life situations, is an atheist. Mr. Epic and I are very close to her, her also-atheist husband, and their two young children, ages 2 and 5. We go to their house every Thursday evening, along with one other friend who is a single atheist guy, and the five of us share dinner, watch movies or tv series, and chat throughout the evening. It is great to be able to regularly connect to and chat with peers whose values line up with ours. When we discuss life situations that come up regarding our lack of beliefs, we can all relate to one another, and we all have the same blasphemous sense of humor! Beyond that, Mr. and Mrs. W (that's what we'll call them) are blazing the trail ahead of us. They're frequently telling us stories of answering their precocious, genius 5 year old daughter's occasional questions in the realms of religion, morality, and values, and we take mental notes. We get to see how they handle holidays and encounters with religious family members. We get to hear what their philosophies have held up from the front lines, so we feel like we are getting some great early insight--and we know we won't be alone when we are on the front lines, too, with little miss Avery.

So, I know I'm a bit late on the thankful theme, but I am thankful for Mr. and Mrs. W. I'm thankful that Mr. Epic and I have them to be our friends, confidantes, and examples for our upcoming adventures in atheist parenting. To feel a little more connected to people like us, and a little less alone in this respect, is something we certainly don't take for granted!

Do you have other friends who share your beliefs (or lack thereof) and values, or do you feel a bit alone on that front? How do you connect to others like you?