The Age of Reason

Me at age seven 

Age of Reason

The name given to that period of human life at which persons are deemed to begin to be morally responsible. This, as a rule, happens at the age of seven, or thereabouts, though the use of reason requisite for moral discernment may come before, or may be delayed until notably after, that time. At this age Christians come under the operation of ecclesiastical laws, such as the precept of assistance at Mass on Sundays and holy days, abstinence from meat on certain days, and annual confessions, should they have incurred mortal sin. The obligation of Easter Communion literally understood applies to all who have reached "the years of discretion"; but according to the practical interpretation of the Church it is not regarded as binding children just as soon as they are seven years old. At the age of reason a person is juridically considered eligible to act as witness to a marriage, as sponsor at baptism or confirmation, and as a party to the formal contract of betrothal; at this age one is considered capable of receiving extreme unction, of being promoted to first tonsure and minor orders, of being the incumbent of a simple benefice (beneficium simplex) if the founder of it should have so provided; and, lastly, is held liable to ecclesiastical censures. In the present discipline, however, persons do not incur these penalties until they reach the age of puberty, unless explicitly included in the decree imposing them. The only censure surely applicable to persons of this age is for the violation of the clausura (cloister) of nuns, while that for the maltreatment, suadente diabolo (at the devil's persuasion) of clerics is probably so.(New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia)

The first job I ever had was dusting knick-knacks for my mother’s best friend who lived across the street from us on Andrews Avenue.  Her name was Helen and she had a raised mole above her lip which I asked her about.  I was seven years old.  Helen also had a deformed right index finger which I also asked her about.  It got run over by a sewing machine needle is what she told me.  She had short curly hair because her daughter Gladys gave her a Toni home perm every six months.  She was plump and always wore a dress, most of which had interesting and beautiful patterns.  I hated it when she wore a plain dress of one color and no pattern. 

From where my mother and Helen sat in Helen’s kitchen they could see many of the neighbors’ houses.  Mrs. Swantek, the Browns (my grandparents), the Ritters, the Norcavages, the Founds, and the Chokers lived in the row on the other side of the sidewalk, directly across from Helen’s kitchen windows.  They talked about all of them, sometimes they whispered, and that is why they liked me to stay in the living room and do my work.  Helen said “little pitchers have big ears” and, even though I was only seven years old, I knew what that meant. 

“Mrs. Swantek’s son is going to marry the Norcavages' daughter and move to Canada and Mrs. Swantek will be all alone.  He is a Mama’s boy, you know.  Grandpa Brown doesn’t like my mother visiting Helen because my mother and Helen drink whiskey, and because my father is an Italian and a Catholic.  The Ritters are dirty Southerners with too many kids and Mrs. Ritter is low class for sitting on her front steps and nursing her baby.  The Norcavages are dumb polocks and their house always smells like cabbage.  Mrs. Founds is not the real mother of Melvin like everybody thinks; Melvin’s real mother is Mrs. Founds’ daughter, Anna.  Donald “Ducky” Choker is a tap-dancer and probably a homosexual”. 

While Helen and my mother sat in the kitchen chatting, I did my dusting in the living room.  It was fascinating work because I got to pick up and examine each porcelain figurine in her vast collection.  It was a great responsibility as well, because Helen cherished all of her figurines and I had to be extremely careful not to break one.  I also had to put each one back in the exact same spot it came from. That was no problem though, because I had it all memorized.  I knew where each one belonged better than Helen did. She said she had confidence in me and that I always did a fine job.  She paid me one dollar.  That was enough to go to the movies on Saturday afternoon, buy popcorn, Jujyfruits or Red Hot Dollars to eat while I watched the movie, and still have enough money left to buy an Orange Creamcicle from the Jack & Jill  man, or a comic book.