Sunday Inbox Inspirations
November 15, 2020
33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Cycle A
The Giftedness of Children
Some years ago, I read a story about a young man named Brian.
Brian always loved to tinker with mechanical devices. As a 6-year old, he took apart a remote-control toy car.
At age 9, Brian helped his dad fix the lawn mower. In high school, he spent hours rebuilding computer equipment.
And as a young adult, Brian became a sound technician for a theatre company. His parents steadily encouraged him from a very young age.
But, Brian, in his school years, was never labeled as “gifted.” The definition of the “gifted child” was traditionally limited to the top 5 to 10% of children who achieved high test scores in school.
No question, these children are gifted, but, there may be other ways for children to be gifted. Today, educators and psychologists tell us that nearly all children have special gifts.
Children may display their giftedness through words, numbers, music, sports, technical skill, social interaction, intuitive insight, creativity, and on it goes. Many professionals now say that all children have gifts, and they just vary from one child to another.
Our Gifts and the Gospel
I came across these insights in an article entitled Fifty Ways to Bring Out Your Child’s Best.
This was written by Dr. Thomas Armstrong, the Director of the American Institute of Learning and Human Development. The article has led me to see today’s gospel parable from a slightly different perspective.
Instead of reflecting on the use of our own gifts, I am thinking about how we can encourage others, especially children, in using their gifts. The article gives 50 ways to bring out the best in children; this morning, I want to share just 5 of these with you.
Five Ways to Bring Out a Child’s Gifts
First, look for what really interests children. Be alert to what captures their attention in a positive way.
These interests may say a lot about where their gifts are. By being alert to this, we are in effect letting children discover their own giftedness.
In today’s gospel parable, the number of talents – 5, 2, or 1 – does not just mean having more or less talent than others. These numbers also represent different kinds of gifts, and our task is to help children identify their own unique gifts.
Second, encourage children, but do not push or pressure them too much. If we do that, they may become too stressed and not develop their gifts well.
The master in today’s parable does not pressure. He simply gives his servants the gifts and the opportunities to use them.
Third, allow children to make some mistakes. If they have to do everything perfectly, they may never take the risks necessary to discover and develop their gifts.
It’s important to assist a child in realizing a mistake and learning from it. But first, we need to allow some appropriate freedom to make mistakes.
And the fourth rule is connected with this: don’t criticize children in a way that puts them down. Instead, give them encouragement and constructive criticism.
These last two rules – 1) allowing children to make some mistakes and 2) not putting them down – are borne out in the third servant in the gospel parable. He feels afraid and intimidated, and the result is that he does not develop his gifts.
And the fifth rule: accept children as they are. Maybe your son is musically inclined and does not have a lot of athletic ability.
Or maybe your daughter is more into computers than dance. The important thing is to take children as they are, because that will be the best environment for using their gifts and for becoming the persons God intended them to be.
Fr. Michael Schleupner
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