Living the 10 Commandments for Children

People looking for authentic Catholic books for children will not be disappointed in the books by Rosemary Gortler published by Our Sunday Visitor Press.

This book will be a welcomed addition to my CCD resources and my 8 year old's bookshelf. I love how it breaks down each commandment in terms a child can understand. Mostly, I like the way they approach the adultery commandment. The authors manage to handle the subject without one mention of the "S" word.

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I bought this book for myself. I haven't been a child for many, many years. But since I was a child I have wondered about the 10 Commandments. Some of it seemed so simple, like "You (Thou) Shall(t) Not Kill." Well, duh. And "I am the Lord your (thy ) God: you (thou) shall(t) not have strange gods before Me."

I never would have equated a love of money as a "strange god." Nor would I have equated gossiping about someone as "stealing." Now, I can see how it would be "stealing" someone's good name. As a child, stealing meant the simplistic taking of something that didn't belong to me.

These are the "Christian" 10 Commandments as number two is not about not making any "graven images." As you can see by my parenthetical inclusions, I learned these Commandments long before they were modernized, so I didn't expect the graven images. Blessedly, they listed numbers nine and ten in their correct order, giving preference to "coveting" someone's wife as opposed to "coveting" their possessions.

Growing up, I had a hazy understanding of the 10 Commandments and how these rules from thousands of years ago apply to modern situations. This book does an excellent job at explaining them in language that young children can understand. For example, greed violates the 1st Commandment ("You shall not have strange gods before Me") because it is putting love of money before love of God. Watching violent TV shows or movies violates the 5th Commandment ("You shall not kill") because it teaches us to not care about other people. Wearing immodest clothing violates the 6th Commandment ("You shall not commit adultery") because it tempts others to be impure. Gossip violates the 7th Commandment ("You shall not steal") because it steals someone's reputation. I highly recommend this book for use in a Catholic homeschool program or as a supplement to a parish CCD program.

Have you ever wondered how to explain the 10 commandments to children? If so, this is the book for you.

The Sixth Commandment (You Shall Not Commit Adultery) always seems a little difficult to explain to small children, but this book does this in a beautiful way.

An excerpt: " God blesses marriage between a man and a woman. When two people get married God gives them to each other. This is very special! They would not want to go out and get somebody else!...............He wants us to keep ourselves pure. What does it mean to stay pure? Well....we respect other people by treating them with dignity.................We wear clothing that covers our bodies well, and we make good entertainment decisions. We choose TV shows, movies, magazines, and games that are clean and wholesome............."

This is only a small taste of what this book teaches. I highly recommend it for children, catechists, parents, and grandparents.