L
Layman
Guest
I made the original post as a joke. You can’t forbid a child absolutely not to attend Mass; they might obey you. It’s a pity you can’t use some subtle reverse-psychology on 'em, but there it is.
From memory, I was a sullen teen who stayed up reading till 2am. No chance of my being in the mood to go to 10am Novus Ordo Mass, hormones a-coursing 'through my angst-ridden, sleep-deprived body.
Teens are naturally rebellious. It’s a way of establishing a separate identity from their parents. Pity the child who does everything their parents tell them; they may grow up to be too meek to face life’s hardships and ‘get on’ in life, alone.
I did see a funny candid-camera video about this on Youtube. A boy, Michael, had just told his mother he was an atheist. She hit the roof. He said “Well, you can think about things, OK?”.
And she said: *“NO, it’s NOT OK. Since you’re an atheist, you’re getting no presents for Christmas!” *
And that brings it home. If you’re out of the Church, you’re in a lonely place, in more ways than one.
From memory, I was a sullen teen who stayed up reading till 2am. No chance of my being in the mood to go to 10am Novus Ordo Mass, hormones a-coursing 'through my angst-ridden, sleep-deprived body.
Teens are naturally rebellious. It’s a way of establishing a separate identity from their parents. Pity the child who does everything their parents tell them; they may grow up to be too meek to face life’s hardships and ‘get on’ in life, alone.
I did see a funny candid-camera video about this on Youtube. A boy, Michael, had just told his mother he was an atheist. She hit the roof. He said “Well, you can think about things, OK?”.
And she said: *“NO, it’s NOT OK. Since you’re an atheist, you’re getting no presents for Christmas!” *
And that brings it home. If you’re out of the Church, you’re in a lonely place, in more ways than one.