Browsing Category
Parenting
Five suggestions to strengthen your family in love
What is the one virtue that can radically transform your family life? Charity! Charity is the theological virtue by which we love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God. (Catechism of the…
Praying Our Kids Through College
“Just face it; you’re going to be a blubbering wreck.” It was a summer-long mantra chanted by friends, day after day after day. And it stood to reason, really. We were headed to drop off our eldest child, Allie, at college for the first…
Do I worry too much about my kids?
Q: I’m the mom of three children — two boys ages 9 and 6, and a 4-year-old daughter. I wonder if I am unreasonably consumed by fear and anxiety about my kids’ safety and well-being. This issue is starting to be a source of friction between…
Advice from Grandparents is Unwelcome & Ignored
Q. I’m writing because I’m concerned about my 12-year-old granddaughter’s attitude and behavior. My daughter—her mother—is a single parent. The father is mostly absent and generally unreliable. Ever since my granddaughter was very young, I…
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…
Five tips to a fabulous faith-filled family vacation
Recently, I traveled from Ohio to Vermont for a quick Fourth of July getaway and the week after that I headed to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for another 700-plus mile road trip. These two long road trips were not only an opportunity for…
The whispering mom
What did you say? I can’t hear you. Did you lose your voice? I never truly appreciated the Gospel story found in Luke 1 when Zechariah doubted God’s plan for his life to have a son in his old age and the angel said, “But now you will be…
Encouraging men about the value of fatherhood
In his book, How to be a Superman Dad in a Kryptonite World: Even When You Can’t Afford a Decent Cape (Guiding Light Books, 2017), John Clark, husband and father of nine, draws upon his own experiences to discuss the value of fatherhood.…
Contemplating an Empty Nest
Q. The youngest of our four children is leaving for college at the end of the summer. He is counting the days until he begins this new adventure, but as the day of his departure grows closer, I can feel myself growing more anxious. I’m…
Why Cool Parenting Doesn’t Help
Q. This question might be filed under, “What are these people thinking?” My high school freshman got a ride home from a recent sporting event from a teammate’s parent. The conversation in the car turned to a high school party that took…