Raising Children
On my mantle sits a beautiful statue of the Holy Family. Joseph is seated on a chair and holding Baby Jesus. Mary is reclined on the floor, with her head on Joseph’s lap, fast asleep and safe in his presence. Joseph cradles the baby in one arm, while the other protectively surrounds Mary. The love…
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In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus said to His disciples, “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Our calling as Catholic parents is to take Jesus’ words to heart and not only teach our children about Him but give them the…
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The education of children is of vital importance. And it’s a parent’s first responsibility. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that parents “bear witness to this responsibility first by creating a home where tenderness, forgiveness, respect, fidelity, and disinterested service are the rule. The home is well suited for education in the virtues.” Understanding…
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“The family, a natural society, exists prior to the State or any other community, and possesses inherent rights which are inalienable.” ― Charter of the Rights of the Family Societies once almost universally respected the family and the rights of parents to raise and educate their children, recognizing the family’s unique role as the essential…
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Pope Francis mourned the effects of contraception last week. In a speech, he said, “What future do we have? It is ugly. […] Homes are filled with objects and emptied of children, becoming very sad places. There is no shortage of little dogs, cats…there is a lack of children.” Italy’s fertility rate has dropped dramatically…
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Warning: This column includes some descriptions of a mature and disturbing nature. Reader discretion is advised. Recently, a woman by the name of Kitty published a book about a year during which she decided to experiment with casual sex. Her self-stated purpose was to shake off a deep aversion she had felt towards sex ever…
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They say that children don’t come with a handbook. And that’s true. But if they did, it would hold amazing insight from a woman named Diana Baumrind. Baumrind was a developmental psychologist at the University of California at Berkeley in the 1960s. After studying the behavior of preschool children, she found that there is a…
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Building stable and healthy families is of paramount importance, to the family itself but also to our society. In order to do that, we must raise our children to be good, moral people. This takes effort. It takes love. And it takes time and devotion. These are just some of the actions of loving and…
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Navigating our children’s emotional, spiritual, and mental health is a huge part of parenting. It’s a responsibility that most do not take lightly. And when our children hurt in any way, we also hurt. That empathy is part of the immense love that parents have for offspring. When we see our children hurting, we want…
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I’ve thought of the famous “Footprints in the Sand” poem often over the last several years. Just the idea that God would say to me, “My precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of suffering, when you could see only one set of footprints, it was then that I…
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