One of my super star, enthusiastic students told me that he wants to be a priest when he grows up.
Edit: He's in primary school. It just breaks my heart that kids so young are indoctrinated and brainwashed.
Just saw an interview with Michael Moore about how he wanted to be a priest at 11, but one year into seminary school at the age of 14, the hormones kicked in. He realized that he didn't want to live up to those rules, so he went to the head guy (whatever he's called) to say he wasn't coming back next year and he was told that they were actually going to ask him not to return anyway because he asks too many questions.
He still considers himself a catholic, but I'm okay with that.
Make sure he reads
before he signs up or earlier if possible . I lost a best friend to Priesthood at the age of 11yrs. See my review and others on "good reads" on the web.
How did you/will you handle it? Off the top of my head, I would ask him if he has studied the history of the priesthood in order to make an informed decision.
How old is he? Pre, post, or in the midst of puberty? Has he given any thought to what type of priest he wants to be? How he envisions that role?
I mean, if he's drawn to the "helping" sorts of roles that he imagines the church provides, maybe he could be steered toward Doctors Without Borders instead.
If he's drawn to the intellectual challenges of the Jesuits, maybe he could be steered toward law school instead.
He's little, 8 years old. The indoctrination of kids so young is just so great breaking.
@Summer72 Okay, so he's at the "fantastical dreaming" stage, not the "career planning" stage. That's good.
And yes, the indoctrination of kids is heartbreaking... I guess...if you look at it that way. I don't, personally - I figure that most parents do the best they can with what they know, and most kids can figure out what, of that, works for them...and what doesn't.