How do you know when your child is ready to be baptized?

In the church in which I was raised, the big salvation message was to repeat a prayer and you would be saved. I remember being pretty confused when I was little...like that if I wasn't saved I would die on the cross like Jesus did. I also remember praying that prayer maybe a couple of dozen times at different points, just to be sure. I'm pretty sure that I said it when I was old enough to say a complete sentence. Now that I have a child at this age, I completely understand that she would have no idea what she was doing, and I definitely didn't either.

She is however, asking good questions. She watches me take communion and wants to be a part of that tradition. She knows she can't until she is baptized, so about every week she asks to be baptized. When I ask her why, she responds that she wants to eat too.

Obviously...she isn't ready. I'm happy she's communicating with me about it though. That brings up the question...how do you know when your child is ready?

A good indicator that they are ready to begin thinking about salvation is when they stop believing in Santa. At this point they can begin to differentiate between real and fantasy and they will begin to understand the difference between faith in something you can't see and a fairy tale. This is typically around age 8, sometimes earlier and sometimes later.

If your child is in a situation where they have the opportunity to take communion in a children's setting, and an adult doesn't regulate who does/does not take communion--one way to tell is that they will stop taking communion, if they have been. The child begins to recognize the significance of it and will skip it, realizing they are not in a proper place to take it.

Your child will also recognize specific sins they have committed (beyond "I disobey my parents" and other generalities) and be remorseful about their sin, not just the consequences.

Finally, your child will be urgent about being baptized and will routinely bring it up on his own. Often by asking the child to wait, and watching to see how they respond and how frequently they ask, you can decipher their urgency.

Of course you know your child the best and will know when they are spiritually ready. It's important not to delay too long when they are ready, but you need to be sure that they understand that this is a commitment of giving up their rights as boss of their life. Jesus becomes boss, not me! Talk with the leader of the children's ministry if you think your child might be ready. They might have some indicators to consider as well.

If you feel comfortable, you might also consider asking your children's ministry leader at your church if you can baptize your own child. What an excellent opportunity to bond and to begin the discipleship process with your child!