Rookie moms and dads often struggle with their new role as parents. Will I ever be good enough? Am I up to the challenge? How can I possibly withstand the immeasurable weight that is the blind confidence of an innocent, little child? We see other mothers and fathers, perhaps our own, and wonder how we’ll [...]
Being a father is a radical responsibility. One that’s been neutered of its uniqueness and weight and turned into just another equal participant in the human economy. Well, we may have produced an economy of hard working men (and women), but we’ve also enabled a generation of slacker dads. Even the “good dads” are slackers. [...]
My wife and I play a game with our two year old son. It involves catching a fish. You never know if it’s gonna be a little, tiny fish – or a great, big whale of a fish. You can play this game on the bed, on the floor, pretty much anywhere. To begin, you [...]
“You’ll lose your looks having kids. But you’ll lose your looks anyway. So you may as well do it having children and then they can remind you of how good looking you once were.” – Janet Smith Life is way too short to spend it worrying about your looks so much anyway. Gee whiz. And [...]
Marriage serves two primary purposes. It is for both “the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring” [CCC 1601]. Yet, when we celebrate our wedding (marriage) anniversaries, we normally emphasize one of those things more than the other by turning it into a night or weekend away from the kids. In [...]
[photo source] “Every father should remember that one day his son will follow his example instead of his advice.” And actually, I’ve realized now that “one day” comes a lot sooner than you expect. In fact, kids understand the language of “example” far sooner than the language of “advice.” My toddler has been mimicking what [...]
“Making the decision to have a child – it’s momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.” – Elizabeth Stone I didn’t understand this before I had a child of my own. Now I certainly do. How often do we take for granted the marvelous thing that [...]
Last year I mentioned the movie “Babies” and that it would be coming out in 2010. Last weekend I finally saw it. I liked it. There is no plot or story line really. And there is no dialogue or script. There is a little bit of talking from the mothers. And there is some crying [...]
I love this video. When things don’t happen just like I expect them, or when somebody else (like my wife, son, family member, dog, etc.) does something that interferes directly with what I was doing or planning on doing, my gut reaction is normally one of annoyance or frustration…and sometimes anger. I hope that one [...]
A recent study has found that getting married and having children increase happiness and overall life satisfaction. Commenting on the results, author and TV personality Rachel Campos-Duffy told CNA that this runs counter to the prevailing culture and “reminds couples to appreciate each other and the beautiful messiness of child-rearing right here and now.” Published [...]
Children are expensive, but are they worth it? It’s astounding to me how many people think the answer is no. That so many married couples (who are able to have and care for children) decide not to do so is one of the greatest tragedies of our modern time. Some of the greatest gifts and [...]
