The beauty of the beast. “Sixteen is the terrible twos times eight plus a driver’s license.”—One mother in speaking for many. “Just enjoy them now; those teen years are coming.”—a forewarning from veteran parents to the beginners. Poll one hundred...
parenting
How To Celebrate Advent And Learn To Wait With Kids
Advent: the season most Catholics would like to honor more appropriately but find it difficult to do so with the commercial Christmas creeping in all around. But when we do celebrate Advent it is totally worth it— both for the value in the season in and of itself, but...
Ten Prescriptions for a Strong Family
As a sociologist who has taught college classes on the family, and as one who has written extensively on the subject, it is my considered judgment that strong families are not built on luck or happenstance: it takes work. Moreover, the right prescriptions must...
Practical Ways To Teach Your Child How To Identify The Truth
The act of thinking is in a bit of a predicament these days. American culture has never cared less about what has been known for millennia as "objective truth." Despite the apathy, an objective truth still guides and directs reality, whether I or anyone else cares...
The Life-Changing Effects Of A Daily Rosary
I saw struggles with sin unravel before my eyes, I found clarity in my vocation and decided to marry the man I now call my husband. I watched anxieties and worries, wounds, and difficulties dissipate as Our Lady brought me peace and interior quiet I had not known...
Catholic Kids Have Big Questions…Learn How To Answer Them
Sitting around the dinner table, my young son asked me a seemingly simple question, “How can I know that God exists?” He wasn’t asking about prayer or the Bible, but about logic. Why does our belief in God make sense? This was one of those rare parenting instances...
Should Catholics Implement Gentle Parenting?
When I was posed this question, I didn’t understand it at first. Not because I didn’t know what gentle parenting was. Before my baby was even old enough to have a tantrum, I had over-read and over-researched and exhausted myself reading the least scary parenting...
Planning An Intentional Summer With The Messy Family Project
Summer is coming on fast and that means more time with your kids, more time outside, more family time…basically more time! More time together is great in theory, but when we come to it without planning, we can find ourselves sitting around watching a show or listening...
Today’s Teens Need The Saints More Than Ever
A lot happens between the ages of 12 and 14. I call it the magical age, the ethereal age, the age of heroes and anything’s-possible. We’ve all passed through that moment. For some of us it was just another year, for others it was the turning point that made every...
How Much Tech Is “Too Much” For Your Kids? 5 Ways To Tell (And 5 Ways To Fix It)
As Millennial parents, my husband and I have grappled with the issue of moderating screen time for ourselves and our children. Whether we want to admit it or not, the technology is inescapable, but that’s all the more reason to take seriously our responsibility to...
Who Taught Mother Teresa To Be A Person Of Virtue?
Saint Teresa of Calcutta was known for spending countless hours attending to the dying, the sick, and the poor. This flowed from her rich prayer life: Daily Mass and a daily holy hour. Where did Mother Teresa learn to sacrifice herself for others? Her first teacher in...
55 Catholic Gifts For Kids
Looking for the best and most unique Catholic gifts this Christmas? We're beyond excited to present to you an amazing list of Catholic products that will definitely put a smile on the face of every recipient. We have searched the internet to find these incredible...
What Your Kids Learn When You Prioritize Your Marriage
“Well, the children have always come first” is a remark that echoes in the offices of too many marriage therapists. Imagine if their wedding vows had been, “I, John, take you, Jane, to be my beloved wife. I promise to stand by idly, but with deep emotional pain...
What We Should Teach Kids About Angels
Who are the angels and how should we talk to our children about them? It’s an important subject for Catholics to consider. After all, the existence of angels is an absolute doctrine of our Faith. The Islamic religion believes in angels too, and so does Judaism. Even...
5 Ways To Engage Children With Jesus | Part 3 Of A Guide To Children’s Adoration
This is the third installment of our series on bringing children to adoration as part of a response to the USCCB’s call for a Eucharistic Revival. In the first part of the series, we looked at why it is both appropriate and important for children to go to adoration....
4.5 Ways To Prepare Your Children For Adoration |Part 2 Of A Guide To Children’s Adoration
Welcome to the second part of our series on bringing children to adoration. In case you missed it, the first part is here. In the first part, we established that not only is it acceptable to bring children before the Lord in adoration, it is, in fact, encouraged....
Two Things That Keep Parents From Bringing Children To Adoration | Part 1 Of A Guide To Children’s Adoration
This year, the USCCB has announced a three-year Eucharistic Revival. The goal of the revival is to draw people to the Eucharist, the source and summit of our faith. A significant way that this call for revival is being lived out is through an increase in Eucharistic...
Raising A Saint: Lessons From Holy Dads
If you could ask a few male saints how they were raised, what do you think they would say? Certainty, every Catholic father wants to raise a saint, but not every father is willing to make the sacrifice or knows where to start. The Father Of St. Thomas More Let’s...
Raising A Saint: 2 Essential Lessons From Holy Mothers
In one of his most famous dreams, St. Don Bosco saw a large ship being attacked by smaller ships. Eventually, the Holy Father steered the larger ship, which represented the Church, safely between two pillars: the Blessed Mother and the Holy Eucharist. Like the Holy...
“If Families Aren’t Going To Mass, Your Catholic School Is Failing.”
This is an alarming statement – adding another level of responsibility on schools, especially in today’s society. But Catholic schools can and should influence Mass attendance! As we know today, many Catholic school students aren’t experiencing the Church as a family...
Best Catholic Gifts For Kids Gift
The Christmas season can be a tough time of year for Catholic parents. It's difficult to avoid the materialism and consumerism that surrounds this holiday. If you're looking to keep the focus on Christ, consider buying Catholic gifts for your child. The gifts on our...
Don’t Overlook The Importance Of A Child’s Imagination When Teaching The Faith
What if? Every movie, book, or play sees its genesis when someone somewhere utters those two words: what if? What if a mammoth shark terrorizes a beach community? What if a boy befriends a stranded extraterrestrial and works to help the being return home? What...
Can Married People Become Saints?
Recently I read an account of a martyr who was not an ordained religious. The author began the reflection by saying that this saint helps us to keep in mind that sainthood is possible in all states of life. While this statement is true and supplies hope and...
9 Catholic Books That Dads Will Love
Looking for a great gift for Dad? How about a Catholic book that he is sure to love! Here are our suggestions. 9 Catholic Books For Dads Our Not-Quite-Holy Family: A Practical Guide for Catholic Parents BeDADitudes: 8 Ways to Be an Awesome Dad Man to Man Dad to Dad A...
An Open Letter In Response To An Agnostic Mom
This open letter is written in response to a viral article written by Amelia Kibbie that can be found HERE. Dear Amelia, At the time of this writing, your article has been shared 20,928 times on Facebook alone. So, clearly, this sentiment resonates in the hearts of...