
Train the young in the way they should go;
even when old, they will not swerve from it.
Proverbs 22:6
Resources on Parenting & Family Life
Articles
....Christ came to earth and died on the cross, not so that we could avoid death and suffering, but so that he could transform the inevitability of death and suffering from the inside out. By communion with him, by participation in his cross, we could receive eternal life.
Fr. Mike Schmitz, in this 6 min. video, talks on suffering as sharing in a "sliver of the cross".
How many times as a parent have we wished that we could alleviate our child’s suffering? Our
God-given nature to love and protect our child kicks in to high gear when he or she faces trials.
The valentine has become the universal symbol of friendship and affection shared each anniversary of the priest's execution -- St. Valentine's Day. Valentine has also become the patron of engaged couples.
St. Francis de Sales once said, “Every one of us needs half an hour of prayer a day, except when we are busy – then we need an hour.” Sounds impossible but with a little thought this makes sense. The more responsibilities we have, the busier we are, the more we need our Heavenly Father’s assistance and guidance.
Before I was Catholic, there were three significant days in my week: Monday was the much dreaded day school or work began; Wednesday was the hopeful hump day when most of the week was over; and Friday was the glorious final day of the week that ushered us into the weekend.
Since becoming, Catholic, however, I have gained a new appreciation for the sacredness of time.
This post is reprinted with permission from The Catholic Education Resource Center
The partridge in a pear tree is Christ. In nature, a mother partridge will feign injury to lure predators away from her defenseless nestlings. In the same way, our Lord protects us, vulnerable human beings, from Satan. The pear tree symbolizes the salvation of mankind, just as the apple tree symbolizes Adam and Eve's Fall from Grace.
Two turtle doves represent the Old and New Testaments.
Practical tips for Celebrating the Feast of All Saints and All Souls Day as a family.
Join the Family Rosary Pledge.
Family prayer can create an extra special bond between all the family members and teaches them to pray. The Bible says to, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Prov. 22:6). There is no better way to teach than through example. Children not only see the parents praying but it is a great support to them in their prayer life as well.
By repetition, to rosary helps children to learn their formal prayers like the Our Father and Hail Mary.
One of the most pernicious lies of the modern world is that life is supposed to be easy and comfortable. There is even a sense in which moderns believe they are entitled to this comfort and ease—that it is some sort of fundamental human right.
First, let’s take a look at the definition for the word Dignity.
dignity/ˈdignitē
1 the state or quality of being worthy of honor or respect
origin Middle English: from Old French dignete, from Latin dignitas, from dignus 'worthy'.
And now, let’s look at the meaning of the word Manners.
Family- the people God gave us to travel to Heaven with! We all have a part to play and it is important for each family member to participate in prayer, work, play and family rules(see #10) . Expecting each family member to contribute through age appropriate chores, recreation and prayer gives them dignity knowing they are needed and cherished in their God-given family. “The true Christian home is an altar of sacrifice and a theater of comedies and drama; it is a place of work and a haven of rest." Rev. George A. Kelly
When we speak of politeness we may think of something that can be easily learned from reading an etiquette book. Such may be the case with simple, isolated behaviors like selecting the proper fork or keeping one's elbows off the table. But true politeness requires more. For it is the mirror of a person's heart and soul – it is an outward expression of inner virtue. And inner virtue is best learned through constant practice and examples
One year, Hal Urban put up a sign in his high school classroom: "No one ever went wrong by being polite." He had always enjoyed a good rapport with his students, who were college-bound and typically from affluent families. But he was troubled by what he saw as a decline of basic courtesy.
Most of us would do anything for our kids, right? We give birth after hours of labor, sometimes without pain medication just so those kids will have “the best” start. We struggle through those early, sleepless weeks, tending to our babies’ every need, checking on the them five times a night putting our fingers by their noses or our hands on their little chests just so see if they are breathing.
There are no easy answers to the choices we face in this upcoming election which will affect our nation for a long time to come. We offer resources and wisdom from some of our shepherds of the Church. And above all, we invite you to pray, be informed and share these resources with family and friends.
Philadelphia, Pa., Aug 15, 2016 CNA.- In his latest column for the Philly Catholic Archdiocesan paper, Archbishop Chaput shared some of his personal thoughts on the upcoming presidential election, and implored Catholics to take the time to pray and form their consciences before voting.
These are the words that echo through my mind as I reflect upon my week with the Missionaries of Charity. At the beginning of July, I travelled with twelve of my students to spend a week helping the sisters put on a day camp for neighborhood kids. The camp was an afternoon event every weekday, consisting of food, catechesis, play time and more food.
1. There Is Only "One Thing Necessary." The first happened when I was about six or seven, I think. It was the first important conscious discovery I ever made, and I don't think I have ever had a more mature or wiser thought than that one. I remember to this day exactly where I was when it hit me: riding north on Haledon Avenue between Sixth and Seventh Streets in Paterson, New Jersey after Sunday morning church with my parents.
Question: What about summer, Auntie Leila? ...Let’s plan an old-fashioned summer with some low-key expectations where the children can look forward every day to simple pleasures: a few chores (because there can be pleasure in knowing you are all in it together), many books, and lots of play.
Last 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.
As 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.
Seems 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.”
The 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.
Pornography 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.
It makes sense that this mercy begin at home. The hidden and sacrificial deeds of mercy performed in our homes both mundane and heroic not only serve to improve the lives of our family members but begin to mold and shape our own hearts to better resemble our Savior. As parents we can become models of mercy to our children along with helping them to see opportunities for mercy and to practice them.
My daughter is 10 years old. She is completely boy crazy! She dreams about having a boyfriend, she dreams about getting married, she dreams about kissing a boy. She talks all the time along this theme. My husband and I are frequently reminding her that 10 is too young to consider having a boyfriend, never mind getting married!
Pornography is now more popular than baseball. In fact, it has become America’s pastime, and we are awash in it. Porn is on our computers, our smartphones, and our cable or satellite TV. It’s common in our hotels and even in many retail stores and gas stations. For many men — and, increasingly, women — it is part of their daily lives.
OUR FAVORITE BOOKS & ARTICLES & DVDS
on PARENTING
- Father of the Family - Clayton Barbeau
- Raising Good Kids: Back to Family Basics - Dr. Ray Guarendi
- Good Discipline; Great Teens - Dr. Ray Guarendi
- Discipline That Lasts a Lifetime - Dr. Ray Guarendi
- You’re a Better Parent Than You Think! - Dr. Ray Guarendi
- Back to the Family - Dr. Ray Guarendi
- Strong Mothers – Strong Sons - Dr. Meg Meeker
- Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: The 30-Day Challenge - Dr. Meg Meeker
- Boys Should Be Boys: 7 Secrets to Raising Healthy Sons - Dr. Meg Meeker
SEXUALITY
- Sexual Common Sense – 12 Talk Series - Janet Smith
- Contraception: Why Not – 3rd Edition – Cracking the Contraceptive Myths - Janet Smith
- Real Love, 2nd Edition, Answers to Your Questions on Dating, Marriage and the Real Meaning of Sex -Mary Beth Bonacci
- The Pornography Epidemic, A Catholic Approach - Peter Kleponis, Ph.D
- Delivered - True Stories of Men and Women Who Turned from Porn to Purity - Matt Fradd
- Good Pictures, Bad Pictures, Porn-Proofing Today's Young Kids -Kristen Jenson, Gail Poyner
- Informed - Equipping Individuals, families, churches and communities in the battle against the pornography epidemic
BUILDING VIRTUE
- The Virtue Driven Life - Fr. Benedict Groeschel
- Learning the Virtues - Fr. Romano Guardini
- Boys to Men: The Transforming Power of Virtue - By Tim Gray and Curtis Martin
- The Book Of Virtues - A Treasury Of Great Moral Stories - Edited By William J Bennett
- The Book of Virtues for Young People - A Treasury of Great Moral Stories - Edited By William J Bennett
- The Children's Book Of Virtues - Edited by William J. Bennett
OUR FAVORITE WEBSITES ON PARENTING
DR. RAY GUARENDI
- Dr. Meg Meeker
- Fathers for Good, An initiative of the Knights of Columbus
- Catholic Parents Online
- Family Life Center
- Lifeteen - Questions and Answers for Teens
- Chastity for Teens
FERTILITY & REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH
- One More Soul
- Fertility Care Centers of America
- NaProTECHNOLOGY
- Pope Paul VI Institute for the Study of Human Reproduction
- Couple to Couple League
PRO-LIFE RESOURCES
- 40 Days for Life
- Human Life International - Pro-life Missionaries to the World
- Pope Paul VI Institute for the Study of Human Reproduction
MEDIA RESOURCES
- Movie Reviews
- Covenant Eyes - Internet Accountability and Filtering Software
- Educational Guidance Institute - Teaching Truth, Goodness and Beauty Through Classics Movies to the Rising Generation
VOCATION RESOURCES
Usccb - United States Catholic Conference of Bishops
FOR ADDITIONAL WEBSITES SEE:
Video Library on Parenting
The Hardest Job and the Easiest Way by Kathy St. Pierre, mother of ten.
Protecting Families and Teens from the Culture of Porn with Dr. Peter Kleponis. hosted by St. Joseph Catholic Family Center
Parenting Today: "Conquering the Culture" with Dr. Ray Guarandi
Parenting Today: "Overcoming Anger" with Dr. Ray Guarandi
Young couples talk about their reasons for getting married in the Catholic Church.
This video is intended to give a brief glimpse behind the truth about NFP as seen through the eyes of real couples actually practicing and teaching its beautiful gift to marriages.
Pray without ceasing. . . what does this mean? Can we really pray constantly as St. Paul tells us to do in this verse? Most of us are not cloistered―we live in this very busy world―a world full of high expectations and productivity ―a world in which we run from activity to activity―a world in which we are bombarded with constant media. I know that I easily get caught up in filling my day to overflowing.