Adventure Mark

July 1, 2024

Turn your kids’ cuts and bruises into a way to grow in strength and share in Christ’s victory

By Jack Calcutt

July 1, 2024

Kids running at the beach — pixdeluxe/E+ via Getty Images

At a recent potluck, my wife and I were relaxing with other parents around the firepit while our kids enjoyed the early summer evening. The conversation paused when a child screamed about some pain that required a hug, a Band-Aid or an apology. While one of the dads — a brother Knight — gracefully averted the “crisis,” those of us who remained discussed strategies around falls, bumps and cuts.

Our own family’s strategy is to celebrate. With all eight of our children under 14, we don’t have time to coddle too much. At a certain point, we needed another way to get emotions back on track after a tumble. When a child comes running up with a small emergency, such as a bleeding knee or a bruised arm, we get the whole family to cheer and announce a new “adventure mark.”

The immediate effect is simply to help the child feel better and stop crying more quickly. The second effect goes deeper. We want our children to be excited about taking risks and comfortable with a sense of adventure. Every adventure mark is a chance for them to learn about themselves and the world God created for them to enjoy. A minor injury, or the experience of pain, is a way to grow in strength and to enjoy a particular triumph. It’s worth a cheer.

Juxtaposed with this excitement is a concern for spiritual danger that is far scarier to our family. Dangers lurk behind screens, and the wounds are often invisible. Our best hope is to fill our children’s cups with the delicious drink of real life: wrestling with dad, cooking with mom, and playing in nature.

In prayer before a crucifix, it came to me that when Catholics revere the wounds of Jesus, we ponder the adventure of Christ, who humbled himself to walk among us and suffer death in our place. Indeed, it is telling that he kept his wounds even in his glorified state after the resurrection. He showed them joyfully to St. Thomas and the other Apostles, as if to say, “It’s still me. See how I loved you?”

The Son of God left the “safety” of heaven to assume our humanity and love us to the end. We want to encourage boldness in our family, even at the cost of suffering. Our small triumphs point to Christ’s ultimate triumph over sin and death, which he invites all of us to share.

*****

JACK CALCUTT is a member of Most Pure Heart of Mary Council 4254 in Topeka, Kan., where he lives with his wife, Katie Scarlett, and their eight children.

Supper at Emmaus (oil on canvas) by Rembrandt (1606-1669) (Photo Josse / Bridgeman Images)

Adventure Mark

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