Can a three year old know their vocation?

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We ( me and my two daughters ) were in the adoration chapel and my almost three year old daughter said, “I want to marry Jesus”. Then she went into the back near the statue of the risen Jesus and was quite for a bit.

So, can she really know her vocation … And what should I do as her parent ???
 
At the same age girls are known to say thy are going to marry their daddies, so don’t worry unduly. Marriage to them is the most desirable state to be in, with a member of the opposite sex that they love.

She may, however, just grow up to be a nun.!
 
and i know of a kid in pennsylvania who says hes going to be the next pope!

keep notes of what she’s saying. gently preserve her in purity. encourage her adoration.

i would ask her how she plans to be the bride of christ.

blessings,
cloisters
 
Yes, they can. I was reading the vocation story of a nun who knew she wanted to be a nun when she was 4 years old, not much older than your daughter is now. I would encourage her and pray for her. Keep teaching her the faith. She just might be called to religious life. 👍
 
I promised myself I was going to stay off CAF but just had to respond, please DO NOT DISCOURAGE your daughter from a religious life, coming from someone who was. God grabs onto us while in the womb! Woe to those who discourage children!
 
Giggly_Giraffe said:
We ( me and my two daughters ) were in the adoration chapel and my almost three year old daughter said, “I want to marry Jesus”. Then she went into the back near the statue of the risen Jesus and was quite for a bit.

So, can she really know her vocation … And what should I do as her parent ???
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I have to say that yes she can know her vocation at the age of three. The best you can do is allow her to express her desires freely without prejudice for your own desires. She has many years left to explore her options, but if this is her vocation she needs to know she is free to chose it from you.

In the meantime make sure you are living the faith, provide her with a good religious education and plenty of opportunities to read about the Saints.

I knew when I was 4 that I wanted to be a Catholic and to Marry God. I was raised in an agnostic/atheistic family setting. This knowledge came after a near death experience at the age of 4. What was missing in my life was the freedom to make that choice without fear of rejection. Please don’t allow that to happen to your daughter or any child.

We are here to teach them how to make good, moral choices, not to decide what they must choose to make us happy.
 
Casilda said:
I promised myself I was going to stay off CAF but just had to respond, please DO NOT DISCOURAGE your daughter from a religious life, coming from someone who was. God grabs onto us while in the womb! Woe to those who discourage children!
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Well said. I agree with you totally.
 
Casilda said:
I promised myself I was going to stay off CAF but just had to respond, please DO NOT DISCOURAGE your daughter from a religious life, coming from someone who was. God grabs onto us while in the womb! Woe to those who discourage children!
Click to expand...
Actually, I would be thrilled to have her marry Jesus. I would also be thrilled if she married and had childreen. My biggest hope is that she remains steadfast in pleasing God, and hope she avoids mortal sin.

I will teach the faith, introduce saints, and not push in any direction — but wanted to know if there was any formal thing I should be aware of.
 
Cardinal Timothy Dolan knew at the age of three. He and his brother (Bob Dolan) tell stories of how all who knew young Timothy encouraged his faith and vocation. So, yes, it is possible. 🙂

My 13 yr old has said since he was 5 that he’d like to be a priest. He rarely mentions it now, but he still loves to go to the seminary for camp and events, so I know he still ponders it, he’s just busy growing up right now to be as open as he was when he was 5 & 10 yrs old. My oldest daughter is 3 months away from making her oblation. She was miss fashion and social butter fly as a child with no mention of a vocation. By 8th grade she still didn’t know her vocation, but wrote as her graduation letter (tradition at the school she attended) that she did not know if she’d be a mom with many kids, (adopted or natural) or if she would be celibate. The main point was that she kept her heart and mind open to God’s call which she eventually heard and has gone on to pursue.

As a parent all we can do is offer prayer and mortification for our children’s vocations. Keep the option open as a choice in life so they are aware of the need to discern and listen to God’s call. Another big part we must also realize is that no matter what we do, we do not create a vocation. We only can create an environment that nurtures fidelity and faithfulness to God. Your daughter DOES have a vocation, and that is to Love and Serve Our Lord. As she grows she will learn from God how she is to live out that vocation. She may end up taking religious vows or she may end up being the mother to priests that we need. Keep taking her to adoration and she will grow up listening to God and perhaps hear her vocation early. 👍
 
Pray for her, that she discovers her vocation and does God’s will. That is what I do for my children. I would love for them to have the call to religious life but this is not something that we can or should try to influence. I just pray for it, a lot.
 
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