A Movable Feast
March 25, 2011, 12:02 pm
Posted by J. Peter Nixon
I had to make a lunch for my son today and had told him Thursday morning that since it was Friday, he’d have to have clam chowder instead of his usual chicken soup. Then I read yesterday that because today was the Feast of the Annunciation, the usual Lenten discipline requiring abstinence from meat had been lifted. So I offered him a choice last night, chicken soup or clam chowder, assuming he would choose the former.
“Nope,” he said, with his usual tongue in cheek style. ”I’m going to be a real Catholic.”
“Well the pope says it’s okay,” I replied.
“Well who says I have to listen to the pope?”
I can already tell it’s going to be a long adolescence….
Peter –
The Piagetian psychologists who have studied moral development have found that it is typical for early adolescents to found their morality on their clan rules, that identification with the clan is paramount with them. Mature persons learn to look past clan standards.
I wonder whether the basic problem with the RCC hierarchy isn’t that they are people who still operate according to the clan mentality of pre-Vatican II. Change above all is anathema.
Good luck with your kid. I’ve always said that there is one very good thing about being single — you don’t have to go through your children’s adolescence :-).
Priceless.
This brings back fond memories of all five children I ushered throgh chronlogical adolescence.
My adolescence has remained into my 70th year.
That’s my guy! Little punk, he is.
Out of the mouths. . . .