One of the biggest mistakes a Dad can show their kids is that Judaism is controlling and limiting. Why the negativity? Instead try explaining it as a process and relationship that you build with God. That means screwing up sometimes and doing your best to improve. It’s about becoming more and more responsible. For so many of us it is almost weird and frowned upon to mention the word “chosen nation” to our youth. It’s like until we ourselves feel it, we can’t give it. In my book Not Alone Soldier, I discuss what I personally saw to religious kids whose parents tried to dominate them with religion instead of nurturing them. We need to show our kids how we are a miraculous nation but it takes a bit of knowing about our history and purpose. Surviving three thousand years of persecution while keeping the Torah is a supernatural phenomenon that cannot be logically explained.
Jewish Dad Today 