I love Marie Barone in the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond. Sure she’s a bit meddlesome. Admittedly she’s even a tad overbearing. Maybe she’s even off-putting to some. But her motivation is pure. She’s committed to her family. She really never puts herself first—even if we are led to believe that she does. If we are […]
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 […]
Patti Maguire Armstrong and Theresa Thomas, who previously paired up to write and compile the wonderful “Stories for the Homeschool Heart,” have now come together to create Big-Hearted: Inspiring Stories from Everyday Families (Scepter Publishers, 2013). What makes a family big-hearted? It is a spirit of generosity with a focus on putting God first. “The […]
“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 […]
We tried. Our cat….the one I have dubbed “Cat’…is indispensable and obviously knows it. Our son found ‘Cat’ outside his apartment a few years back and called to see if we could give her a home. He named her ‘Sheba’–but I’ve never quite settled into that name, so for me she remains – ‘Cat.’ I’m […]
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 […]
Gru and his yellow, gobbledygook-spewing, Contac-capsule-shaped minions are baaaack! Despicable Me 2 picks up where Despicable Me left off, but if you didn’t see the first installment, no worries, “2” is a hoot without it. All you need to know is that Gru (Steve Carell) is a former dastardly doer of evil deeds on a […]
Scrapbooking is one of my passions. It’s no surprise; when I was a young child my father (a history teacher) dubbed me the “family historian”. I have always been fascinated with family relationships and their history. When I discovered scrapbooking twelve years ago, I jumped at the chance to document my family history while exercising […]
PVC is amazing stuff. Its versatility rivals that of Duct Tape. And growing up, we always had plenty of both around the house. The PVC was mostly for Dad’s plumbing work on our house, which seemed constant. I guess eight kids put a lot of mileage on the pipes. As for the Duct Tape, as […]
I recently received an interesting book for review, the softcover edition of Sally Koslow’s Slouching Toward Adulthood: How to Let Go So Your Kids Can Grow Up. Let me underscore up front that this is in no way a “Catholic” or even a religious book, although it does touch upon spiritual issues. Here’s the primary […]
The corruption of innocence is a deadly sin, because it corrupts the innocents. Better a millstone be tied around the necks of those who corrupt the innocent and they be flung into the sea, said Jesus. He really never pointed out too many particular sins attaching to them a ‘woe betide’. About the only other […]
When I grow up, I’m going to be a priest and a policeman.” “I want to be a nun who rides horses and sings. Can a nun have babies?” “Mummy, when I grow up I’m going to marry you.” I smile as I remember these statements made by some of my children when they were […]
Considering that no one in my family is expecting, it might seem strange that I have been so happily perusing a baby name book. But The Catholic Baby Name Book by Catholic Lane Senior Editor, Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur, is a complete delight and of nearly the same interest whether you are looking to name an expected […]
At some point between the ages of 5 and 12 most children find a passion. It may be a vocational kind of passion like an animal-lover on the path to veterinary medicine, or an avocation like a softball player who one day applies that determination to passing the Bar Exam. At this tender age, it’s […]
You’ve caught your child fibbing time and time again — even about inconsequential things where telling the truth would not result in consequences. Do you have an issue with integrity? Is it a normal phase of child development? Or are you raising a serial liar? I’ll never understand why children try to lie their way […]
As soon as the men of the world perceive that you seek the devout life, they will launch forth all their raillery and slander against you; the most ill-natured will pronounce your altered ways to be hypocrisy, affection, or bigotry; they will assert that the world having slighted you, rejected by it, you turn to […]
I am sure you remember this song we all have sung so often at Mass: “We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord; We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord. “And we pray that all unity; May one day be restored. “And they’ll know we are […]
What’s the right age to let children ride their bikes to friend’s houses? Isn’t it just safer to drive them? Should I worry about what other parents might think? Riding a bicycle used to be the standard mode of kid transportation, especially in the summer. I recall hopping on my bike on golden summer mornings […]
I’m busy repainting two pieces of furniture that have already served three generations of my family — a 3-drawer bureau and a tall dresser. Over thirty years ago I was getting married and in need of more storage space for my new home. My husband and I became the happy recipients of the bureau from […]
Sometime ago, my father and I went to get some fast-food for lunch. While there, a mother and three daughters came in. My father became silent, and discreetly watched them order their carry-out and then leave. “Do you know them?” I asked, when they’d left. “No. Not really” he said, then proceeded to tell me […]
Mark Teixeira is widely known as one of the best all-around players in baseball. After being awarded the 2000 Dick Howser Trophy, college baseball’s equivalent of college football’s Heisman Trophy, he was taken in the first round of the Major League Baseball Draft in 2001. His professional career includes a World Series championship, two All-Star Game […]
Fatherhood is definitely not an easy topic to think or converse about for the majority of people in our current age. Many wise people have stated their belief that the downfall of modern society is directly linked with the erosion of the true meaning of fatherhood. Normally I don’t like to put all of my […]
