I'm Amused...I Can't Help It

So this morning, I was talking to one of the moms at our current daycare who is pulling her child out and moving her to a new center. Out of curiousity, I asked which one. She said it was Lakeside - a church run, brand new, MUCH cheaper childcare facility in Waldorf.

I checked it out.

Their website clearly states that they have a Christian-teaching method. They call their facility "your child's Christian home away from home." They use teaching books and methods developed by leading Christian scholars. Their books unabashadly state that they teach God as the created and final law on all things (science, math, english...every thing).

Let me stop for just a minute here, lest you all get the wrong idea about me. I am, obviously, not Christian. I'm not sure what my label would be, but certainly not Christian. That doesn't mean that I have any issues with the faith or the people who choose to believe. I certainly have issues with Christianity in the aggregate, but when we're talking about people who believe and the teaching of Jesus Christ...I think this is all fine and dandy. Not for me. But fine.

So I figured - what the hell? I gave them a call. I spoke with the Assistant Director. I told her that we had heard great things and were interested in exploring their facility as an option for our 14 month old daughter. On the heels of that statement I explained that we were an open lesbian family, that I was not a believer in Christianity and that my wife was a non-practicing Christian. I asked how that would fit, if at all, within the context of their childcare facility. I further explained that I am not worried at all about the Christian aspect, but that I needed to be clear that they would not have a problem with our family, with the fact that Bailey does not have a father, and with the fact that neither of us will ever tell her that Christianity is the only belief their is to choose from.

LOL -the woman was taken aback, I think. Her first response back to me was "You're not a Christian? Do you believe the word of God?" To which I promptly answerd, "No, but I think my wife does."

The conversation just went from there. She didn't really understand why it was important that we were a lesbian family. She made the comment that all the kids say "Mommy"...I'm not exactly sure how that fits, but there it is. I told her that it was important because ignoring Bailey's family is the same thing as acknowledging it in a negative way. It becomes most important on days like Mother's Day (when Bailey has two women to celebrate) and Father's Day (when Bailey has none). It is also important in normal conversation, for instance, when teacher's talk about "Mommy" and "Daddy" and ask Bailey to respond. The woman didn't understand why it needed to be an issue at all.

I explained, as patiently as I could, that the "issue" is that it cannot be ignored or "not mentioned". It's a level of respect and education that has to be done, and Kelly and I are willing to take that one...but only with their cooperation.

After 15 minutes, I gave up. I checked them off our list of centers to consider and realized (one more time) that I'll never fit into a Christian community. It's just not my thing.