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Parenting
What’s so bad about wanting to be rich?
Q. Whenever we ask our 13-year-old son what he wants to be when he grows up, he says, “All I want to be is rich.” Our son’s fixation on money and materialism bothers us. He never talks about how he’ll achieve his goal of wealth or what…
To teach a child to love
It had been a bacon-and-egg, aster-and-bluebells, children-hanging-on-every-limb kind of Sunday, five stars all around. By 3 p.m., I was comfortably buzzed on sunlight and motherhood, the grass looking a little greener than usual, my mood a…
Teachable Moments: When divorce affects parenting
Q. How do you suggest defending against the culture’s assault on childhood when it comes via an “inside job?” My soon-to-be-ex-wife previously saw and resisted it, but in recent years she has pretty much given into it rather than fight it.…
Ways to be a pro-life family
January marks the 45th anniversary of Roe v. Wade and the annual March for Life, so it's a natural time to promote respect for life from conception to natural end. But what does it mean to “respect life”? What does it mean to be “pro-life”?…
Prayer aware: Five ideas to help your children become more attentive at family prayer time
Many people ask me how I get my children to pay attention during family prayer time. They admit that their own children drift off during family prayers even after a minute or two. They wonder how they can encourage their own children…
Five ways to support a mom with young children in your parish
Every parish has a few families with young children. You may have seen the mom who is juggling a baby, the baby’s snacks, a restless preschooler, a diaper bag, and a few other things. Wherever the family goes, it looks like a mobile zoo…
The man on the train
A litany of children sticky with candy cane juice jammed the aisle of the Chicago Transit Authority holiday train, grasping for an early glimpse of Santa. Our entire suburban neighborhood, including my husband Sean and our two kids,…
Parenting Mary’s Way
What do you do when your kids aren’t doing what you want them to do, or worse, when they’re doing everything you’ve taught them not to do? That was the very conversation I was having with an editor from Ave Maria Press two summers ago when…
Teaching Children About Biblical Typology
Biblical typology is an area of Scripture study that points out persons and events in the Old Testament called “types,” prophetic signs of Jesus in his incarnation, teachings, death, and resurrection. Calling Jesus “the New Adam” and Mary…
Cool Aid
Who says school’s out for the summer? This summer first-aid primer offers a crash course on preventing and treating common summertime afflictions. The creepy crawlies From fire ants to mosquitoes, there are an awful lot of biting critters…