Goddamn husbands.

They say they’re only trying to help, but do we really need to know our Monday’s hell blog was “light” on content? That it could have benefited from “a few tips” for parents? Do we need to hear that our readers deserve more? That we suck at blogging? That we might as well quit now? I mean, really?

And, fine, maybe the husbands didn’t actually say that our readers deserve more, or that we suck at blogging and might as well quit now. And, okay, maybe said criticism was totally valid, and that said husbands actually were being really nice about it. Still. Screw them, right?

Ahem.

When Timmy Gets Told He’s Going to Hell: 8 Tips for Parents

 1. Don’t panic.

This is pretty much the mantra of this blog, and it’s a good one to remember here. Your kid is going to have to wade through a load of shit in elementary school, which will only prepare her for the bigger load of shit she’ll have to wade through in middle school until the shit piles so high, it spills over into your life during adolescence. Best to learn to chill out now. Bourbon helps.

2. Remember: Hell is a nasty word, but it’s  just a word.

We tend to give hell a lot more weight than it’s really worth. That’s not to say it’s okay to tell someone they’re going to hell, but let’s put it in perspective. Sally is told she’s “ugly” because she wears glasses or has freckles. Johnny is a “sissy” because he can’t throw a ball. Mary is “retarded” because she has a stutter. Timmy is going to “hell” because he doesn’t believe in God. Each insult is just as mean and hurtful as the next — and, also, just as untrue.

3. Consider the source.

Not all H-bombs are created equal. One thrown by an unassuming kindergartner is not the same as an assault by a junior minister at a relative’s church, or talk of hell by your child’s Muslim grandmother. A school incident may require no action from you (See No. 4), but if a place of worship is scaring your child, it’s probably best to find a new place of worship. And if a family member is involved, that deserves a sit-down talk.

4. Follow your kid’s lead.

While we parents love to impose our sage advice on our kids, sometimes the best thing to do is listen and encourage. When we steer our kids too much, or expend a lot of energy trying to fix their problems, we often send the message that they can’t possible fix these problems themselves. If your child dealt with the H-bomb without becoming abusive to the bomber, she deserve major kudos. Maybe she told the teacher. Maybe she defended herself. Maybe she did absolutely nothing. Whatever it was, tell her she did a bang-up job. “Good for you!” you might say. “I love how you handled that.” Or the old reliable: “I’m so proud of you.”

5. Appeal to logic.

Take your kid outside. Look up at the sky. Stomp on the ground a little. Look at some pictures of space and the Grand Canyon. Then talk about this “hell” of which people speak. If it exists, where is it? A great centerpiece to any religiously complex conversation is: ”Does that make sense to you?” For example: “If someone is a nice person, and only does good things for other people, do you think that person will go to some horrible place after he or she dies? Does that make sense to you?”

6. Separate the hell-talkers from the religious masses.

A great many religious people — particularly modern, progressive types — have done away with this old-fashioned notion of hell altogether; either they believe that only truly evil people go to hell, or they’ve abandoned the notion altogether. And even among those who do believe in hell, most are not particularly worried about whether you are going there; they’re far more worried about whether they are going there. The point is, not all religious people believe your kid is going to hell; it’s important your kid knows that.

7. Use it as a learning opportunity.

Hell is a super-interesting field of study, for kids who are old enough to handle it without nightmares. And treating it as just that — a field of study — helps remove some of its power. Look up Hell on Wikipedia. Read about how each religion imagines hell, and how they differ.  You might be surprised how many religions have no concept of hell at all. Talk to your child about how hell is depicted in songs, movies, artworks, literature and video games. Also, explain that many people think of hell as a condition of one’s own mind; when you do hurtful, amoral things, you must then suffer the guilt and remorse and regret that goes with those decisions. (For many of us, that’s a fate worse than anything the devil could do.)

8. Tell someone.

I added this one at the last minute after I read a post by blogger Steph Bazzle on Parenting Beyond Belief. Her 8-year-old son came home from school after a fellow classmate told him he was headed “down there.” Bazzle ended up writing an e-mail to the principal, teacher and guidance counselor. Not a freak-out e-mail, but a heads-up e-mail. Their response? The principal called her immediately, genuinely concerned. And the school guidance counselor scheduled a tolerance course for every grade in the school. Can’t ask for better than that.