Posts by Jeffrey Arrowood
Guide Your Family Through Future Generations With Family Ritual
Download the PDF What do you think of when you hear the word “ritual”? Does your mind turn to liturgy and prayer or formal ceremonies? You might be wondering what ritual could have to do with parenting and family life. The answer is that family rituals can be potent tools for building your family community,…
Read MoreBeing Before Doing
Click Here to Download the PDF Even though I am both a teacher and a public speaker today, as a child I never thought I’d ever feel comfortable speaking in front of people. You see, I didn’t grow up with a lot of self-esteem. I was a smart kid and did great in school. But…
Read MoreKnowing and Choosing the Good
“And be not conformed to this world; but be reformed in the newness of your mind, that you may prove what is the good, and the acceptable, and the perfect will of God” Romans 12:2. One of the biggest surprises to me as a parent is how difficult it can be to teach my children…
Read MoreIntellectual Maturity: How Do We Know What Is True?
“And be not conformed to this world; but be reformed in the newness of your mind, that you may prove what is the good, and the acceptable, and the perfect will of God” Romans 12:2 Many times my middle school daughter has come home saying that a teacher or a friend challenged a truth of…
Read MoreTeaching Manners
Showing good manners is part of social maturity. It is the we express the kind of love the Greeks called storgè – basic respect for human dignity. Since human dignity is so important, every culture has created a set of norms intended to show respect. Unfortunately the modernist culture our young people are immersed in…
Read MoreIs Your Family a School of Prayer?
Download the PDF The title of this article may stop you in your tracks. As a parent, were you even aware that your family is supposed to be a school of prayer? In his general audience for January 4th, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI gives us a beautiful reflection that explains the importance of developing a…
Read MoreAre You Teaching Your Family the Way of Love?
Teaching children about selfless love is not an easy task. It’s even more difficult when you realize how important your own example is. How can you become a more selfless parent to lead your children on the Way of Love?
Read MoreThe 10th Commandment – Self-Control and Contentment
As parents, we want to give our children the very best. But God calls Catholic parents to really examine what it means to give our children the best. My children will tell you that their friends get the best from their parents. Their friends have smartphones, video game systems, flat panel televisions, and the freedom…
Read MoreThree Strategies for Building Self Worth
How do we go about building our child’s sense of self-worth and self-concept, especially as they enter young adulthood? Strategy 1: Dialogue Building self-worth begins with the basic message that your son or daughter – and every human being – is inherently good and loved by God. Sometimes we assume that our children somehow know…
Read MoreHelp Them Think Before Acting on their Emotions
Raise Them WellEmotional Maturity TRAIN THE YOUNG IN THE WAY THEY SHOULD GO;EVEN WHEN OLD, THEY WILL NOT SWERVE FROM IT (PROVERBS 22:6). Let’s Pray That . . . Families will joyfully work to put God at the center of all they do. Parents will show their children the joy of self- control. Moms and Dads…
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