My husband is a Catholic but I’m not, and he wants to baptize our child in the Catholic church but I don't. What should I do?

[Answered on Quora.com by Petey Lao]

My husband was raised Catholic. I am Buddhist. When our younger daughter was born, my mother-in-law wanted her baptized in a Catholic Church. I was reluctant.

I consulted one of my dearest friends who was an Episcopalian. After I told him my dilemma, he asked, “Do you think you’ll enroll your daughter in ballet classes?”

I wasn’t sure how the question applied to the discussion. I mean, she was just born less than 6 months ago. I answered that ballet was up in the air. Then he asked another question, “What if your mother-in-law was a ballerina and she really, really wanted your child to take ballet classes?”

I told him, “I might consider it. It does not hurt to try it out.”

Then I realized where he was going with the questions. I said, “Hold on a sec. Getting baptized is far from dabbling in ballet.”

He gave me a shrug and said, “Not really.”

He went on the explain that we make substituted decisions on behalf of young children all the time. When the children become older and can decide what is good for them, these options may stick, or they may not.

“Your mother-in-law just wants to keep the one spiritual option that means so much to her open. She’s not stealing her from your faith. You can still teach your daughter about Buddhism. When she is older, she can choose for herself. She does not even have to go with one or the other. She can be both.”

“An entire community of people is showing up with their commitment to love, support, and morally guide your child. What’s so awful about that?”

I considered his words. They always revealed another layer of truth I neglected to examine. Eventually, I looked past the forest and focused on the trees, and we went ahead with the baptism.