Sports are often said to be a microcosm of life. But for kids playing on their first team, sports can provide valuable life lessons and opportunities for developing virtues. Coaches, then, can be influential mentors who start youngsters on the right road. Yet it’s not as simple as it looks. I had been thinking about […]
I remember one night, not too long ago, when our 8-year-old’s homework assignment was to read a chapter from his religion book. As Quinn and I finished the section about patron saints, we chatted about the patron of ‘this and that’ and he mentioned St. Benedict—his favorite since learning about him in first grade. Quinn: What’s […]
Long ago, our first house had a growth chart on the inside of a bedroom door. Now and again, we’d line up our three little children and place a ruler atop their heads. Then we’d pencil a line alongside their respective heights, along with the date, and their initials – marking growth over time. Something […]
I recently read an article written by a Protestant about modern worship. The author explored all the new ways, through technology and media, to keep the members interested in the worship service. The article was about how to keep the attendees feeling like they had a good God experience, new songs, new music, new films, […]
When our church had its annual fiesta, we stopped by and wandered over to the live entertainment. It was a cowboy with a long mustache and in full get-up doing rope tricks. At one point he asked for a volunteer and chose a boy. My seven-year-old daughter said to me, “I want to go up there.” […]
She came home in tears, my little ballerina. She wanted the part of Clara in the dance theater production of The Nutcracker. So did about 37 other girls. Only one got the part of course, and that year it was not my daughter. I don’t normally throw celebrity quotes at my children. Because, well, normally I […]
I remember when my first son was in need of his first haircut. I took him to a professional stylist and, with 35mm camera in hand, clicked away, literally walking around and around his seat, so that, once developed, the pictures would immortalize that very special day in my life, in his life, in the […]
Finding the right balance for a refreshing summer vacation for your kids Summer with kids is like lemonade. It’s all about balance. Too much sugar? Not enough lemon? It’s ruined. But when properly balanced, it’s a lovely beverage of sweet and sour contrasts and it’s special. That’s how a kid’s summer should be, special. The […]
Sometimes you just want to roll your eyes and say “Duh!” A team of researchers at Arizona State University, led by evolutionary psychologist Douglas Kenrick, has noticed that most people really like being parents. Despite the challenges of child-rearing, Kenrick reported that the warmth, the love, the creativity, the sense of purpose and belonging—all of these […]
Job Description Long term (as in lifetime) position in challenging and ever-changing work environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication skills and be willing to adopt a G-rated vocabulary. Applicants must also trade any existing sports vehicles in for a “babe” repelling, baby-friendly minivan. Some undercover work necessary such as checking up on kids and getting […]
We had two cubic yards of dirt delivered and dumped next to our driveway. I immediately got to work with a shovel and wheelbarrow, transporting the dirt all the way around to the side of the house where I needed it. It was a hot day and tiring work. My seven and five-year-old daughters were […]
Newsweek ran a very interesting article recently: Is the Onslaught Making Us Crazy? Tony Dokoupil examines the growing body of evidence that the internet is changing the way we think and feel. He writes, The current incarnation of the Internet – portable, social, accelerated, and all-pervasive – may be making us not just dumber or […]
Qualifications: Candidates must possess the desire to love unconditionally. Little or no training is required but willingness to learn on the job is a must. The initiation period is little or nonexistent, depending on the support staff you have in your extended family. You must have the ability to be aware of every departmental […]
OK. Deep breath…. pray! Oh Father, Son, Spirit, Three-fold Family from Whom all families are founded… Help us this day to rejoice in the chaos that is our family. To enter intentionally into the endless mystery of the exhausting energy and tempestuous roller coaster ride of our children’s emotions, all raw and real; primordial mixtures […]
For a man known in political and media circles for his prodigious application of the “f-word” (as a noun, an adjective, a verb, an adverb — most likely all eight parts of speech), Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel sounds like the veritable schoolmarm when recently scolding that city’s murderous gangs. In an interview with CBS anchor […]
I was at a holy hour the other night, totally focused and immersed in my thoughts, when from the back of the church came the sound of a wailing toddler. Just like that, I lost it. I was completely distracted by some kid who was far too young to be stuck sitting in a church. […]
Do you have more things to do than time to do them? Really? No, not really. Would God give you more to do than time to do it? Of course not. So if you feel that you can’t get it all done, then maybe it’s not all yours to do. Or, you aren’t organizing yourself. […]
I felt a pang of guilt as soon as I pulled it off the shelf, but I knew I had no choice. It was 103 degrees outside. I had three children under age 3 to keep busy, and I did not want to spend the next four hours maniacally slathering them with 60-proof sunscreen as […]
When she was a precocious preschooler, the daughter of my cousin was famous for begging to sit in the front seat of the family car. As the youngest of four children, she was unlikely to have that privilege, even if she was large enough to safely sit up front. She begged anyway. The story goes […]
This is the first summer I’ve had in my Mom Life where it’s not just another season, regulated with hotter temperatures and a reading program at the library. My oldest, you see, has just finished first grade. She’s home for the summer. Which is great. It has also made me really consider how much more she needs me […]
“I’ve written a song,” he says. And he sings it all day long… and the next. It fills the rooms and his siblings throw pillows at him and I stop them and tell him that his work is good. “But Mommy, what if I forget my song? I’m starting to forget. It seems to change […]
Talking to one of the 3rd graders one day, I asked him how his year was going. He said to me, “Oh, it’s going okay. I’ll be really glad when we’re done with fractions, though.” I shook my head understandingly, “Tough, huh?” Without missing a beat he said, “Well, not exactly, but they make my […]
~As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.~ One of my favorite Biblical passages. We all know it. A simple, beautiful verse from Joshua. A path of service and generosity of spirit? It clearly assigns value to these. Yet when this path is chosen on a “full time” scale, it is denigrated […]
This week, summer is upon us. It is a time to relax and take life at a bit slower pace. Most children are out of school at this point and eager to have some fun. That fun can take many forms, including camps, or family vacations, or simply playing outside, reading a book, swimming in […]
