So much to teach our children, and so quickly the years go by. As a parent, the responsibility can at times feel overwhelming. The math, the reading, the sports and activities all contribute to the development of our children and have value and importance. But there is that One thing or more precisely the One Person that supersedes all other lessons in value.
Read MoreRecently, my five year old announced that he wanted a different haircut. The minimalist, efficient buzz-cut given to him by his mother was no longer sufficient. He instead wanted a longer, more shapely cut so he could wear his hair like mine.
Read MoreNever before have we experienced a Lent or Holy Week like this. We may be separated as a community but spiritually we can be very powerfully connected through prayer and observance of Holy Week in our homes. The Lord knows our sacrifices, our sorrows and our fears. He knows our hopes and our joys. Let us gather as a community and offer our prayers and sacrifices from wherever we are at. We are united in the Lord.
Read MoreExemplary Mother of the Great Augustine,
you perseveringly pursued your wayward son,
not with wild threats but with prayerful cries to heaven.
Intercede for all mothers in our day
so that they may learn to draw their children to God.
Read MoreToday marks exactly half a century since the publication of Humanae vitae, Bl. Paul VI’s prescient missive to the Church in response to the modern world’s views on sexuality and the human person. Reading it now through the warped lens of the 21st century’s concept of sex, it seems extraordinary that there was once a time the world was not arguing over the existence of multiple choice genders and contraception as a fundamental human right.
Progress, eh?
Read MoreWe bet you haven't thought of ALL of these ...
This year Pope Francis will canonize Blessed Paul VI in the 50th anniversary year of his encyclical Humanae Vitae, “on the regulation of birth.”
Canonization is the ultimate declaration that we should pay attention to someone’s life. Thus, we are given St. Paul VI in part, to reaffirm his teaching on openness to life.
At 50 years, it is clearer now than ever that we should be grateful for Humanae Vitae.
Read MoreI have a friend who once told me that, at one point in her life, she suffered from severe anxiety, indigestion, and insomnia.
“Then,” she said, “I made a single change in my life that cured all of that. What was it? I quit leading youth ministry at church.”
Read MoreLast Friday, I watched my husband Shawn teach our 7-year old daughter, Violet, how to ride her bike without training wheels. Shawn travels throughout the week for work and, come Friday, is fairly tired. So when Violet asked him at 4pm if he would take the training wheels off her bike and teach her to ride it, I could sense his hesitation. He really wanted to sit on the front steps with me and a beer and just enjoy watching our kids play.
Read MoreAs healthy, cohesive families go forth into the world as little platoons, they are a force for goodwill and real justice in society, broadcasting by example and by good works into the culture at large. They begin with mothers who cultivate virtue and a sense of uniqueness in their children.
Read MoreSeems like we women have a hard time with things.
Between agonizing over staying home with the kids and needing affirmation from the world, we’re just in a tough place.
I personally would never have made it this far without constant reminders from my friends that I can’t seek affirmation in “how things are going.”
Read MoreThe next big piece of the porn-proofing puzzle is actually putting some safeguards into place for the inevitable exposure to pornography.
Of course we’ll talk filtering software, parental controls, etc., but the bigger piece of the puzzle actually takes place internally, for the child whose will and mind and character are being formed and cultivated by loving parents and by humane, comprehensive education that respects and recognizes the whole person.
Read MorePornography isn’t “someone else’s problem;” it’s our problem. It’s my problem and your problem and the guy across the street’s problem. It’s your barista’s problem and the 2nd grade teacher’s problem, and it might just be your spouse’s problem, too.
Read More“Know that the Lord is God! It is He that made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture” (Ps 100:3). In many ways, this short verse sums up my – and every – vocation story. Whenever I consider how it is that I wound up entering the Franciscan Sisters, T.O.R. of Penance of the Sorrowful Mother, the answer is always the same: God made me for Himself, and has spent my whole life drawing me back to Him.
Read MoreO Holy One O Perfect Source and Cause of all life Open me to your will. You are great, and highly to be praised O Most High LORD, Father of all that is. You created my mouth to praise You, my heart to love You, my soul to sing in Your love. Do not look upon my many sins and faults, O LORD, but only see what good I bring today. The Yes and No of my first parents brings me here: Their Yes brought me to existence. Their No brought me to that inherited sinfulness, that also brings me here in supplication and repentance.
Read MoreOur family's dinner table discussion often has a consistent theme. Given that both Bill (Elementary Principal) and Marie (Paraprofessional) work in public schools and their daughter Abby just completed student teaching at Keene State, teaching and learning is the topic of the day for the Carozzas.
The advantage of working in schools is that we see family life being played out daily in the lives of children. This year, a mother and father of a newly diagnosed autistic child longed for a ray of hope as they worked with Bill to provide support for their son. Marie forged a close relationship with a fourth grade boy with a newly incarcerated Dad and provided critical guidance for the little guy.
Read MoreIn sharing his thoughts on money and childrearing, Stan from Hawaii said philosophically, “It is more important to have a high level of living than a high standard of living.” Marilyn from Oregon agreed. “Buying things is no substitute for time and love. Kids can’t be fooled. They would much rather have us attend their school program, for example, than miss it because we are working late so they can wear a designer label on their clothes.”
Read MoreBeing peaceful with transition is often not easy - especially when it involves our children. Whether we are sending a child off to kindergarten for the first time or to a new school; beginning home schooling; watching a young adult board a plane for active duty in the military; or to study at a far away university, everyday life becomes different and we have to adjust. Seasoned parents offer their words of wisdom . .
Read MoreDear Dr. Ray,
I worry a lot about making mistakes in raising my children. How do I know what I'm doing now won't hurt them in some way later in life? ―Nervous
Few things can ruin the enjoyment of parenthood more surely than a fear of mistakes. Nowadays so many parents live with the daily worry that they will accidentally set in motion some emotional hang-up that will plague their youngster through childhood and maybe into adulthood.
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