Catholic Husband

Love / Lead / Serve

Be A Brave Parent

Most days, I'm surprised that I'm a father. Certainly Benedict has been in my life for nearly two years, yet actually being in these shoes, it's still quite shocking. I know that the challenge of parenthood is going to be the biggest one that I face, and I know that it evolves every single day as he grows. I'm learning all that I can so that I can help Benedict be a man, with a clean heart and a free conscience.

Too many parents strike the wrong balance in their relationship with their children. They attempt an approach that places undue stress, pressure, and anxiety on their child by letting them parent themselves in critical areas. The results are oftentimes disastrous, leaving lifelong scars. We need to be brave. We need to be brave enough to let our children be kids by being their parents.

A child is a beautiful gift, a life waiting to be formed, and they need loving supervision. As we all get to experience the benefits of advancing technology, we need to understand how it truly is a double-edged sword. It can carry us forward and open up new worlds to us, but it can also drag us into dark places and destroy our family. Giving your child unfettered, unmonitored access to the internet not only opens them up to the opportunity to form dangerous addictions or engage in cyber bullying, it also opens them up to attacks. I encourage you to take deliberate steps to limit the use of technology by your children, and in that way, help them to understand the benefits and risks, so that they might make better choices.

As a parent, you're always teaching. We are, after all, the primary educators of our children. The topics won't always be math, science, and history, and truthfully, we should be more concerned with their human formation. I'd rather have a child who doesn't know his times tables but is a gentle and caring person than have an educated jerk. Our instructions, in bite-sized pieces should cover chivalry, modesty, and decision making. They need these lessons so that they might live in the world with the knowledge of how to treat people and live in community.

We don't raise kids, we raise adults. Through our actions, guidance, and behavioral corrections, we're forming healthy adults. Eventually, the training wheels will come off. The question is, will they be prepared?