While I can think of several reasons to go to church, free child care was not at the top of my list. However, for one woman she admits that is the only reason that she attends service. Learn how this "imposter" only attends church for the free child care it offers.
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Woman Admits She's An Imposter And Only Goes To Church For Free Childcare
In a rare vulnerable post a woman, Jillian Pretzel, shares a surprising family secret. She shares, "We look like any other believers. But we're not. We're imposters." While the mother is not an atheist and admits that she does believe in a God, she also admits she does not attend church for the worship.
As a stay-at-home mom of two children, with another baby on the way, it is easy to see why she is tired. Add that to a freelance-writing side hustle and this woman does not get a lot of sleep. So when one of her mom friends told her about a church that was "like private school" for kids, Jillian knew she had to investigate.
It only took one trip for her to realize, yes this is the place for me. However, perhaps not in the way that you think. She writes, "Indeed, my husband and I aren't here for the sermon. We're not here for salvation. We're here because our two younger children love the Sunday school — and we love the child-free break." Yes, you read that correctly, this woman only attends church for the free childcare.
Using church just as an escape from your children seems....sacrilegious does it not? As Jillian and her husband enjoy the free coffee and doughnuts on the grassy field designed for worship overflow, she couldn't help but agree.
Smart Or Sinful?
While Jillian admits to using the church for free childcare, her presence there is not entirely deceitful. She admits that both she and her husband grew up going to church. Additionally, she admits that she and her husband both have a "belief in some sort of God." However, she made the deliberate choice to stop going to church at 16. Apart from the occasional Christmas Eve service, she never returned.
That is, until she needed a break from her children. While she felt relief during these child-free moments, she also felt immense guilt. She constantly thought about God looking down and judging her. Or about the kind-hearted church folk discovering her secret and disowning her. Eventually, the guilt made her stop taking her family there. However, after a few weeks, the children were begging to return to Sunday school.
She returned to church feeling like everyone could sense her depict. However, while dropping her children off she noticed a myriad of other parents. They all looked equally exhausted and relieved to be dropping their children off. While she admitted that initially, she thought taking her kids to church was something she was "supposed to do," she now has a new theory.
New Theory Forms
Although she admits there are plenty of church-goers who are devout and go to grow in their faith, she believes there is another group as well. She stated, "But I was starting to think a good number of us are there for, or least incentivized by, a free hour of child care." It is not a totally unbelievable notion, particularly given the cost of child care these days.
So the facade continues, or a partial facade. For while Jillian admits that her main reason for attending church is the free childcare, she also admits that going to church brings her peace. Additionally, she mentions that she wants to use the kindness of her fellow churchgoers as inspiration to be a better person. After church she feels, "better, calmer, more patient" and like she can be a better mom to her kids. While it may not be the most authentic of reasons, I think Jillian is still experiencing several of the things that church is all about. She finding peace, connecting with a community, and becoming a better person.
