Over on Twitter, J.D. Flynn of The Pillar begins an insightful thread with this tweet:
I recommend reading the whole thread. Flynn, as a father of mentally disabled children, delivers moving testimony.
The postscript to his thread, however, left the greatest impression on me:
Flynn’s point here reminds me of one often made by Bishop Robert Barron: we must not dumb down the Faith for young people. Just as the notion that Down syndrome kids can’t sin might lead us to deprive them of religious education, so too the notion that ordinary kids can’t engage with the richness of the Faith might lead us to give them a watered-down version. These are both injustices.
It also reminds me that those least likely to make anthropological errors (in the particular) are parents. After all, isn’t parenthood an intensive eighteen-year (or more!) study of an individual human? Little Mike’s mother knows better than any other what Little Mike likes to eat, how he behaves at different times of day, the dangers particular to him (like allergies), and what type of learner he is. I’m not saying parents never misjudge their children; but a good and loving parent is in a better position than anyone else on the planet to learn what makes this person tick.
Having no experience parenting kids (of any mental capacity), I can only speculate on their spiritual needs. I’m susceptible to the very error Flynn corrects with such authority. If, God willing, I’m blessed with my own children in the future, I’ll be sure to pay close attention to what they tell me with their behavior. The quality of parenting I give them in return may depend on it.