An Idea About the Stages of Age and How to Deal with Them
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III discusses the importance of understanding the different stages of age, especially childhood, and how to deal with them in a proper educational and spiritual manner. He explains that each stage has its own psychological and mental characteristics that the servant or educator must consider during teaching and ministry.
Main Idea
- The child in the early years depends on the senses more than on mental analysis; therefore, he needs pictures, stories, hymns, and movement more than long theoretical explanations.
- Children tend to imitate quickly; therefore, the servant or parents must be a good example before them in words and behavior.
- The child possesses a wide imagination and a very strong memory, making what he learns during this stage remain influential for a long time.
- The child needs love, encouragement, and positive praise that help him distinguish between right and wrong behavior.
- Children should not be frightened by God; rather, God should be presented to them as a loving Shepherd who cares for them.
- Childhood is the best period for memorization and spiritual transmission; therefore, it should be used to memorize prayers, verses, hymns, chants, and basic doctrines.
- The lecture emphasizes the importance of the Church, its rites, images, and hymns in spiritually forming the child and establishing faith within him from an early age.
- Pope Shenouda III stresses that what is planted in the child during the early years leaves a deep impact on his personality and future life; therefore, serious attention should be given to the spiritual and psychological upbringing of children.
Spiritual and Educational Dimension
The lecture emphasizes that childhood is the golden stage for planting faith, love, and Christian virtues, and that successful spiritual education depends on love, example, and encouragement more than rebuke or fear. It also highlights the importance of investing the child’s abilities in memorization, imitation, and response to Church rites in order to form a believing personality connected to God and the Church from an early age.
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