In Defense of Childhood

Pixabay-JoysOfMotherhood

Pixabay-JoysOfMotherhoodIn my hometown, the local newspaper runs several advice columns, including one by a Christian pastor. A few years ago, around Eastertime, I was perusing the paper and noticed that one man wrote in to the pastor, saying that while he could accept most Christian tenets, he had utter incredulity for the notion of the Resurrection. His words were something like, “I just find the idea that Jesus died and came back to life so fantastic I can’t believe it.” This idea of finding the Resurrection fantastic seemed alien to me, especially since it was and still is one of the easiest teachings for me to believe.

Being the good homeschooled girl that I was, I looked to my mom for an answer as to why this could be. She had one hypothesis that had not occurred to me, but she thought the explanation which I had developed by then plausible too. Her suggestion was that, having always accepted the Resurrection without question, it wouldn’t suddenly seem fantastic for no reason. My idea used essentially the same reasoning to which I had adhered since I was first taught about the Resurrection as a child.

Regardless of the answer to my original question, this anecdote is meant to illustrate part of the answer to a different question that I have wondered about for a long time: the purpose of childhood. Why did God create man in such a way that, in his childhood, he is totally dependent on others and comprehends nothing, especially morals? This perplexed me, because I could not remember doing or thinking anything not totally self-centered when I was a little girl, though I had certainly been taught that others should be put first. Once I started to wonder about it, I knew there was no way everyone who had ever lived could all have behaved as I had. Nonetheless, the knowledge that there had been at least one childhood with no immediately apparent redeeming qualities led me to the fact that there must be a higher reason for people having to be babies and children before they reach full mental consciousness. Thus, beginning from the mere knowledge that nothing God does is ever without purpose, I came to the conclusion that childhood had to have a less obvious purpose than that of practicing virtue, which requires a certain level of maturity.

Childhood is Pleasing to God

Catholic humorist Teresa Bloomingdale said that a baby, “unlike a ten-year-old or teenager, will let you hug him and not pull away; he will submit to your kisses and coos without a smart comeback; he will listen to your lullabies and never, ever say: ‘Julie Andrews you ain’t.’” In other words, babies are more lovable than people at any other stage of life, and we are born that way so that, once we get older, our parents can still tolerate us!”

Beneath this jesting, though, lies a greater conclusion. Babies, like all other descendants of Adam, have original sin, but they do not and cannot freely choose evil. Because of this, though the littlest humans may drive their parents crazy with their needing, their needs are only such as are meant to please God. Furthermore, having never willed to sin, they are the closest thing on earth to what God intended men to be when He created them, in the stage of original justice. While this may seem at first blush to be a benefit to only the children, this also benefits those who love and care for them, possibly even to a greater degree than it does their charges. To look at it from the angle of the sinner (such as myself), if a baby or small child displeases one above the age of reason, the elder will hopefully reach the conclusion that the little one didn’t know any better, rather than giving in to the temptation to anger (though, as with all sins, some will have a harder time with anger than others, who might not be tempted at all). Additionally, caring for a little one can be a lesson in the humility of putting another first.

Of course, I can’t speak personally for what being a parent is really like, but I have heard of the sacrifices that they will be willing to make for their children’s sakes, out of freely given love. However, there is another, still greater beneficial aspect to it, as well. I knew of a family whose beloved 3-year-old daughter got a very deadly cancer. The family members, in turn, in the midst of great sadness, were able to see how everyone is meant to undergo the sufferings they are given, as shown through the joyful attitude that little girl exhibited in her perfect innocence. Her middle name was Grace, and in her eulogy, her older sister spoke about what a source of grace, like her name, she had been to all of them, though her life was short. Little though she was, God nonetheless had a very special, unique purpose for that little girl, and, in her purity of childhood, she obeyed Him and fulfilled it perfectly.

Even When I was Little, I Learned

So, the little ones themselves benefit because they can’t disobey God, and the families benefit because they can learn many things from the children. But those do not encompass all the advantages of starting out in life totally innocent and ignorant. Though when I was small I didn’t know what importance was, and when I first started to get older I couldn’t see a real reason for having had to exist as a small child, in my earliest years I did gain a grasp of something vital: the Catholic faith. Moreover, I found none of it too marvelous to trust because—surprise!—my child’s mind held a natural capacity for wonder. Like many little girls, I read stories like “Cinderella” and “Snow White,” and the life of Christ, particularly the Resurrection, bore common elements to such fairy tales. Arguably the most important exception to this rule of similarity, though, was that I had always been told that His life, as taught by the Church, was true, and fairy tales were only real in my imagination. I believed this apparent paradox possible because I held from the get-go that God, according to His nature, could do anything; thus even something as fantastic from a human viewpoint (that viewpoint being, I believe, the questioner’s problem) as the Resurrection was quite easy for Him. My understanding of God was possible because I had the utmost faith in what my mother, who raised me as Catholic, told me regarding Him, since it follows the natural order that a child should trust what is shown to him or her from a “greater authority,” as describes parents.

What it All Means

God obviously had a plan in mind when He created men as babies. Even though at times the earlier stages of life can seem the most pointless, in some aspects they are the most crucial. Young children don’t sin, so they serve Him perfectly. Regardless of whether they intend it, they can help others along the path to holiness, as well. Likewise, their natural senses of trust and imagination predispose us to better receive and understand the truths of the faith as they grow older. In Matthew 11:25, Jesus even thanks his father that “that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes,” as one illustration of their importance in His sight.

Maybe next time you hear a baby’s cry, instead of thinking how annoying the sound is, you could pause and thank God that you were a baby once, too. After all, the fact that you’ve moved beyond that now is just another proof of His divine providence!

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7 thoughts on “In Defense of Childhood”

  1. Childhood is a time of life of pure innocence, a time of play, a time to have imaginary friends and join with nature; it’s a time of unfettered discovery and unbridled inquiry…a place where the spirit and the intellect should be absolutely free to roam for all is pure. Images of a fiery hell, of eternal damnation, catalogues of sins, crowns of thorns, bloody beatings, crucifixions, the dead coming to life….is this good for children?

    1. Adam-I see what you mean and I definitely think you have a
      point, but I don’t agree with you entirely.
      Now that you have presented your viewpoint, please allow me to present
      mine. The symbols and images of the
      Passion, as you brought up, certainly seem on the outside not to be child
      friendly. However, having been Catholic
      from birth, I can say for me, as one child, they were not particularly painful. One possible reason for that is, having lived
      in a Catholic home, crucifixes, if not the other things you mentioned, were as
      ordinary to me and my brothers as family photos on a wall. More importantly, I think, I was always
      taught that Christ suffered and died for my sake. Thus, if I recall correctly, even if my young
      heart didn’t really leap with joy on seeing one, I never saw a crucifix as an
      image of horrible suffering, but of someone who I was taught loved me. Conversely, I think we would certainly agree
      that 7 year olds shouldn’t be watching the R-rated “Passion of the Christ.” There’s a time and place for everything, and
      that movie is one example of something best only for adults.
      Nonetheless, there are other ways in which children could be taught
      about the death of Jesus that are age-appropriate. Now regarding the dead being raised, although
      according to the Church it happened more than once (check the story of
      Lazarus), the Resurrection is surely the best known among Christian children,
      and the only one I knew growing up. As
      for that, the idea of “God can raise the dead” didn’t bother me (see my third
      paragraph from the bottom) because I also thought that God was undoubtedly
      good, thus it never even occurred to me that he could also, say, raise a
      murderer from the dead. Furthermore, I
      believe now that I didn’t see at the time just how good it was for me to have been
      taught that Christ came back to life.
      The whole point of the Christian celebration of the Paschal mystery is
      that Christ Our Lord, who gave everything for us, is actually greater and stronger
      than the death that seems supreme to us.
      If God could be conquered by death, then he wouldn’t be God; he’d be at
      best only somewhat greater than a human.
      But, if he does have power to conquer death, then there is at least a
      chance that he is God, as Christians believe.
      Additionally, you mentioned sins and damnation. As I said before, it’s certainly possible to
      overdo something like that with a young child, but to ignore the idea of
      punishment entirely goes too far in the other direction. Personally, it seems to me that children have
      the strongest need to know that they may not commit all the wrongdoing they
      want, even more so than adolescents and adults, because bad behavior in
      childhood is what leads to bad behavior later on. No, innocent little children should not be
      quivering in fear of Hell all the time, but a small amount of fear might
      actually be appropriate. The ideal is
      that children (and all Christians) should not fear sin because of punishment,
      but out of love for God and wanting to please Him. That is what childhood saints like Dominic Savio
      had in abundance: love of God. That, in
      the end, is what all Christians seek to teach their children: love, not fear. Finally, I would like to note that my intent
      in the writing the article was not to offend.
      Rather, I am a Catholic writer, writing for a primarily Catholic
      Christian audience, so I will naturally reflect a Catholic viewpoint. If this does not suit you, I respectfully
      suggest that you could find another website to peruse. Thank you for your time.

    2. I am well aware that you reflect a Catholic viewpoint as you should. Catholicism should also be open to dialogue and discourse and question. I would discuss as you have without suggesting that I go elsewhere…that is not nice. We need not all sing kumbaya and Gregorian Chant….folk music is equally proper.

    3. My wording was too harsh, and I do apologize. What I meant wasn’t at all that one shouldn’t read whatever he pleases; rather, I just wanted to draw attention to the fact that no one’s going to agree with everything he finds on the Internet. God bless!

  2. Cecily-Thank you for this writing. You could easily develop this subject into a book. When I hold my baptized grandchildren and look into their eyes, sinless creatures, I know that at that moment their guardian angels are there, happy, and simultaneollsy they are in the presence of God. I am literally on the edge of heaven-even if I am in the middle of changing their diaper. Watch the effect in public of a baby-I love to take a grandchild to the grocery store-everyone -well almost everyone-talks to him or her and watch this: everyone smiles. Those smiles are heavenly, they are of God. Recently I was carrying an eighteen month old granddaughter, Eza Elizabeth, through a parking lot and she spied an elderly woman walking towards us, head cast down, apparently either deep in thought or hurting about something. Eza E reached her hand out and said “Hi, Hi.” The woman looked up and smiled and said “Hi.” Made her day and she smiled at all of us. And re what is shown to us by a “greater authority,” I think it is not so much the authority, but the love of parents that is all the testimony we need that the mysteries are true. Guy McClung, San Antonio, Texas

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