St. Thomas Aquinas writes: God foresees with prudence all future things, good or bad. Before they happen, He knows them and sees the good or evil that will result from them. This would seem pretty difficult to imitate at first glance; after all we can’t predict the future. On the other hand, I recently read […]
Thomas Aquinas writes: …all goodness is pleasing to Him by nature, always and everywhere, whether it be in angels, in men, or in other creatures…Similarly all evil displeases God everywhere and always and in whatever it exists. Dads, do we delight in the accomplishments of our kids? I’m sure we do most of times. If […]
Liturgy is a lot like parenting. No. Liturgy IS parenting. Jesus Christ is the groom and His Church the bride. Together they have done a wonderful job of cosmically birthing a multitude of Christians. In an effort to raise their children to the heights of charitable virtue, they provided us with the rhythmic order of […]
As each of my kids approached mid-fall of their second grade year, an excitement comes over me in anticipation of the Saint project! My oldest son had a thing for St. Francis. He loved animals and thought that Francis was the man for him. We read up on the saint’s life, found a hooded brown robe, tied a rope around […]
The Archdiocese of New York has published three handy booklets for parents, providing suggestions and examples on how to talk to their kids about the gift and responsibility of human sexuality. Each booklet focuses on a particular age group: primary grades, middle schoolers and teens. Fathers for Good spoke to Kimberly Quatela, chastity education coordinator […]
In every family there are there are three primary relationships for the father. In descending order of importance: the first is the father with God; the second is the father with the mother; the third is the father with his children. Constancy in love: Dad must pray every day-on his own and with his family. […]
Some parents call it a meltdown, others use the more familiar word tantrum. I call it the Land of the Terrible Twos. It’s a place never far away where our active boy goes when he doesn’t get his way, or when he wants more attention. He’ll be happy with his dessert as mommy and daddy […]
My husband married a woman who had the ability to laugh things off, to be spontaneous, to work hard and get ‘er done. And then I got pregnant, had a baby, got pregnant, had a baby, and so on five times in a row. My five kids are aged 5, 4, 3, and 1 year […]
For generations, American girls have been exposed to unrealistic and even unhealthy images of painfully thin women, and subtly encouraged to fit within a very narrow definition of beauty. While it’s certainly nothing new, this pressure has risen to an unprecedented level in today’s technologically advanced, celebrity-saturated world. Kids spend more time in front of […]
Our children are often the impetus that draws us closer to God. In between diapers, sleepless nights and planning for college, parents contemplate something more. For many poorly catechized Catholics, however, the “something more” is a bit intimidating. Our children have souls that need more than the ABC’s and a good college fund, but where […]
Because I’m known for blogging about the mishaps and joys inherent in raising a large family, it may surprise some of you to know that I have no siblings myself. I am an only child. I know, right? We onlies are a rare breed to begin with, but onlies who go on to have a slew of kids? […]
A while back, I asked someone for ideas for this column. “Why don’t you write about raising kids?” came the reply. Hmm. That would assume I would know what I’m talking about, wouldn’t it? Frankly, I’m not sure that I am an expert on the subject, even though all four of my children now qualify […]
Have you decided to homeschool but are super scared to do so? Here are a few thoughts and tips to help you overcome your doubts and launch into the amazing, one-of-a-kind experience known as homeschooling: 1- You are doing the BEST thing ever for your family! If you feel called to homeschool, want to homeschool, […]
I never met a mom who thought she had enough help. So here’s a few ideas to make your days a little easier. Some ideas come from me, and some from other moms, but they’re all offered from someone who’s been there, done that, and wants to pass on what she’s learned. 1. Ask for […]
The Guardian U.K. recently published an article entitled Should we care that smart women aren’t having kids? The piece was based on the work of Satoshi Kanazawa, a London School of Economics psychologist who conducted research on the link between intelligence and maternal urges and wrote the book The Intelligence Paradox based on his findings. […]
With the school year starting soon, here’s a sampling of questions from recent emails: Q. Our school district is revamping the curriculum to comply with the new Common Core State Standards, but we don’t know what that will entail. Will my kids be behind since they have not had this curriculum from the beginning of […]
Q. This week’s suspension of New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez and 12 other major league players for ties to performance-enhancing drugs is yet another example of celebrity athletes setting a horrible example for their young fans. It seems celebrities of all stripes enjoy the fame and fortune that comes with their high-profile careers but never give a thought to […]
Q. It’s the dog days of summer and I’m out of ideas to entertain my kids. For the past week, I feel like all I do is open my wallet and shell out more money to keep them from complaining. They are bored and plugged into electronics all day. My suggestions for things to do […]
When you care a lot about your vocation as parent, you think carefully about many of the choices you make: how to discipline, how to educate, how to feed them, keep them healthy, celebrate holidays, lead them in faith…. Big choices and little choices but most of them deliberate, though not always perfect. The problem […]
“Why do we homeschool?” Often when we begin homeschooling there is something that prompted us to begin. It may have been a child struggling with school, a negative socializing experience, or any number of issues. Once the mom begins, she may feel conflicted that her children will miss out on some great academic experience. She […]
“I just don’t even want to talk about it.” A mom confided she’d buried her head in the sand. Yes, her daughter could reasonably expect her period sometime in the next few years. But Mom just wasn’t ready yet. Moms and Dads: We have to get ready. It is our job to teach our children […]
Q: Recently, a boy at my daughter’s Christian high school revealed to his lunch table buddies that he is gay. The group was caught off guard, but not surprised. After a few days, the novelty of this news wore off and the general feeling on the part of the kids is, “Whatever.” In short, it’s clear […]
Remember when you had all the answers about parenting—in other words, when you were single? Then you got married, conceived your first child, and were instantly unsure of yourself. You decided you must consult the experts. At least, that’s what happened to me. I spent my first pregnancy reading Dr. Sears and Greg and Lisa […]
