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 MoreHow to Really Listen
One of the greatest gifts you can give your children is the ability to be heard because children in the throes of puberty have minds that are actively changing. These kids really need to have someone listen to them – someone who will help them sort through their thoughts and feelings. As the parent, you…
Read MoreFour Cornerstones of Providing the Best
Faith, order, responsibility, and celebration within the family are the cornerstones of strong Catholic family life. They are not things that you can buy or trends that come and go. Rather, they are foundational principles from which people – especially your children – can flourish and become who God wants them to be. Faith Faith…
Read MoreGeneral Principles for Teaching Sexuality by Developmental Stage*
As you read through these principles, it is helpful to remember that one stage builds upon the next and that the stages of growth and development often overlap. Early Childhood Parents are called to: Provide a wholesome and safe environment – especially through the monitoring of media. Convey to their children that they are…
Read MoreThe Four Loves
In its most simple form, authentic love is the ability to will the good of the other. The basic truths about authentic or real love are; Love is primarily a choice, not just a feeling. Emotional response is a good part of love, but like all emotions it should be controlled and guided by reason,…
Read MoreNecessary Conversations About the Art of Sacred Silence
Click Here to Download the PDF of This Article My world is so quiet right now. As I sit at my keyboard writing this article, my children are sitting in the living room quietly working on their schoolwork. I just finished Morning Prayer, and my heart is filled with gratitude for this moment of serenity.…
Read MoreRaising Catholic Kids who Live the Virtues
A key element of Catholic parenting is to parent in a way that seeks to shape the heart of your child, not just manage their behavior. A great way to accomplish shaping your child’s heart is to offer opportunities to grow in virtue. Unfortunately we don’t hear much about virtues anymore. We hear more about…
Read MoreBasics of Prayer
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (articles 2623-2649) spells out five things that all Christian prayer should do. No matter what style of prayer we use, we should strive to do all of these things as much as possible: Adoration and blessing is the general attitude our prayer should take. Adoration is the acknowledgment that…
Read MoreSetting Expectations of Goodness within your Family
One of the main tasks of good Catholic parents is to set high expectations for their children. This is often done by setting basic expectations within the life of the family. But part of being the “primary educators” of our children is also to set expectations that the young people under our care grow in virtue and build their character.
Read MoreTasks of the Family
Becoming a family means that you, as the parent, will lead your family towards the completion of a Godly mission. This mission comes from the document Familiaris Consortio (On the Role of the Family in the Modern World) which was written by Pope John Paul II. In his writings, the Pope identified four main tasks…
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