Why Can'T Sikhs Teach Kids About Sikhi From A Very Early Age ?

[SarabjeetS]

I think it will solve so much of our problems we face today on panthic , international level .

Our girls won't elope away with muslims or hindus . When our kids grow up , they will know who they are and thus patitpuna will decrease .

Looking at muslims , if their kids can memorize entire quran at age of 10 , why don't our 25 year olds don't even remember JapJi Sahib ?

What astonishes me is that Why can muslim kids memorize entire quran at age of 10 , but our kids don't even know what 5 banis are ? forget about memorizing them !

Shouldn't we learn something from then : Teaching our kids about our religion with a zeal !

One thing very common in Sikh / Punjabi families is that they provide and care for every necessities of their kids except teaching them about their religion

[malkeet]

I think all gurdwaras should start giving education packs to all sikh families to encourage the parents to teach their children about sikhism. The packs could include free books, CD's and DVD's, Kakkars, Gutka.

[VanHelsingh]

The majority of Sikhs (or the one's that the OP is referring to) in my experience see Sikhi as a hindrance that they don't wish to burden their kids with. Of course this is a major misconception that has no foundation, and I'm frankly bemused how this mistaken notion has gathered so much steam.

Also, the fact that there are so many factions and groups amongst us, any parent is wondering "What DO I teach my kids?". Harsh but true.

We've become a bunch of "Sunday Sikhs" who - much like certain groups of Christians in the recent past - only seem to remember what religion they belong to on the day of rest. It's why you hear so many Sikhs proudly exclaiming "We don't drink alcohol or eat meat on a Sunday". Yeah, and what about the other 6 days?

However, the aforementioned lax Christians have eventually drifted away from their faith. If something isn't rectified in our faith soon, forget Sikhs converting to others faiths - we'll all become a race of people who don't even believe in the existence of a higher power.

Those empty, grand churches we see around the country are a warning to Sikhs of things to come if we don't buck-up our ideas. Today churches are left dilapidated and ruined - tomorrow it will be the glittering Gurudwara that have been built using millions of pounds but nobody bothered visiting; and most importantly, no-one bothered teaching Sikhi by explaining WHY we should attend our Gurudwaras and partake in sangat.

[SevadaarEKhalsa]

Too busy earning $$ or ££ and giving their children a 'western education'. (the result of which they see when their kids come home with non-Sikhs or even better, run away with them).

[esingh]

Brothers the new government initiative for "free schools" should be jumped upon by like minded folk like us. We can teach our children to be Gursikhs and the same time run the national curriculum. It has worked well for Muslims and Christian groups why not us?

Start up from nursery and primary and then work your way up.

[chatanga]

Too busy earning $$ or ££ and giving their children a 'western education'.

Bang on. This has always been the problem. parents want their kids to go to the best schools, and get the bvest education to get the best jobs.

they need to know that the best school is the gurdwara, guru gian is the best education, and being a Sikh is the best job.

[VanHelsingh]

Bang on. This has always been the problem. parents want their kids to go to the best schools, and get the bvest education to get the best jobs.

they need to know that the best school is the gurdwara, guru gian is the best education, and being a Sikh is the best job.

I agree with you 100% but trying telling that ^^^^ to parents, especially the new generation who are raising their children now. They'll look at you as if you're deranged.

[xprince23x]

We don't teach our kids about Sikhi because we don't know anything about it ourselves. One can recite 5 banis from memory, but if you don't know what it means then your wasting your time. How many of us can read and understand gurmukhi? Most kids raised in the west don't even speak Punjabi, so how do you expect them to understand what the granthis are saying in the gurdwara? We are suffering from a cultural disconnect with our younger generations. People don't believe in rehat and and nobody understands gurbani because its written in a language that nobody speaks anymore. That's the problem.