I love having children. I have loved having children. I am loving children.
I heard something about the mission of motherhood today - and its call on every woman's life - childbearing or not. I heard that its in a woman's nature to carry life to the world - not just physical life but spiritual life - and that this is God's gift to woman, and His call.
Tonight I had a little piece to present at the 1st year confirmation program's introductory parent meeting. Basically, my pitch to parents to nurture their own faith in order to nurture their kids. "You are the primary educators of your children." That kind of stuff. At the last minute I thought to bring several great books I've been offering for sale - hadn't thought to sell them at meetings - but I did buy them for parents and others with questions about how to talk about Jesus, the Church, Mass, prayer. I also suggested joining our Bible Study, coming to a Marriage Workshop, saving a date for a retreat...
Quite a response to my offer of the books. And I am reminded of how fraught raising teens is, in so many ways. It's hard to talk to some teens about anything at all. And if they do ask tough questions, they tend to stymie parents. My suggestions focus on a delicate balancing act. As the parent(s), we have a right and responsibility to determine how our household functions - especially as regards expected routines and behaviors. It is perfectly reasonable - and desirable - to say "We go to church as a family every (barring emergencies) Sunday". It is not reasonable to respond to a query or challenge about belief with "Because I said so", "Because our family is Catholic" or other shut down answers. The teen years are important years for asking questions about meaning, identity, choices....
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