Parenting Feed

Intimate conversations: How to talk to your kids about sex

U.S. Catholic — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 22:15:00 -0800

Tami Hollendonner remembers the extent of her sex education as a Catholic teen in the 1970s. "My mom and dad never told me about the birds and the bees. There was no talk about birth control or why not to have sex," says the 42-year-old mother of two from Darien, Illinois. "The message was that you didn't do it. It was pounded into you-God said you didn't do it, so you didn't."

Sticker shock

goodwink — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 10:07:53 -0700

Are Catholic colleges and universities worth the price of admission?
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A Catholic education is worth the sacrifice

U.S. Catholic — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 08:25:35 -0700

I never imagined that crossing paths with homeless people would become a part of our children's grade school education. Who would put that on the curriculum? But it happened, unofficially anyway, as our city's transient people roamed freely on the other side of the fence near the school yard. With a degree of humor and fondness, the kids gave nicknames to the regulars. One was "The Sheriff" because he wore a toy badge as a daily accessory. Another was "Buddha" due to his physique and habit of sitting calmly on the church steps for hours.

Mom dad I'm gay

U.S. Catholic — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:56:40 -0700

Mary Ellen and Casey Lopata's lives changed drastically during Thanksgiving weekend 1983. That's when their oldest son, Jim, came home from college with the news that he was gay.

After a hectic holiday with four children, Mary Ellen Lopata remembers just sitting down that Saturday night when Jim walked in and asked to talk. As he started to cry he told her, "Mom, I'm lonely. I'm lonely for another man."

"It was his way of articulating how he felt as a young gay man," says his mother.

My teenagers are a constant revelation

U.S. Catholic — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:54:04 -0700

Anyone who survives the dentist's drill should be able to pass this acid test. As I sit terrified in a car crammed with 15-year-old boys, my own at the wheel, I wonder, "Where is God now?" Rush hour traffic bolts feverishly, my stomach wrenches, my neck stiffens, rigid with tension. Acid rock on the radio fills the car with whining, shrieking dissonance. If Dante had had a teenaged driver, he surely would've added this trip to his circles of hell.

Please pass down the faith

U.S. Catholic — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:39:44 -0700

Most parents, if asked, can tell you in two words what they want for their children: "the best." But what does "the best" mean when it comes to religious education? The real goal, after all, is to communicate the Catholic faith to the next generation so that it takes hold and endures. What can parents do to assist the Holy Spirit's transforming work? For today's children must become tomorrow's Catholic adults, assembling themselves to celebrate Mass, perform the works of justice and mercy, and embody Christ in the world.

How to help parishioners with the baby blues

U.S. Catholic — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:32:02 -0700

Mother's day is hard. Baptisms are really hard. Christmas, with all its talk of the birth of baby Jesus, isn't exactly a happy occasion either. Church should be a source of consolation during trying times, but for couples suffering from infertility, it's often an alienating, difficult place. And, although one in six couples now has difficulty conceiving or has experienced miscarriage, few parishes offer any services or even acknowledge the pain of infertility.

Will your kids' faith fly when they leave the nest?

U.S. Catholic — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 08:56:00 -0700

We stand together on the sidelines of our sons soccer match. A gaggle of parents stamping our feet against the creeping cold, huddling under umbrellas away from the drizzling rain which began just as the referees signaled the start of the game. Out on the field, the boys begin to look more and more alike-dripping hair, jerseys plastered to soaked backs, mud-encrusted socks that once were white.

Can Catholicism seem cool to your kids?

U.S. Catholic — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 06:41:25 -0700

When your teenage daughter tells you that the Dalai Lama has a lot more going for him than the pope, do you have an answer for her? Just what about Catholicism makes it attractive tithe younger generation?

How to pass on the articles of faith

U.S. Catholic — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:22:30 -0700

Years ago, I learned a lesson about passing on religious faith during a golden summer while my family was on vacation. My daughters were young, about ages 3 and 6, and we were staying with my wife's extended family in a spacious summer home just a short walk from Lake Michigan's beautiful shoreline.