How St. Zélie Taught Me How to Be a Mother
It started, as life changes often do, with an ugly-cry-in-the-shower session. My son was three months old and we had just returned from spending Christmas with my family on the...
Discerning Foster Parenting
Discernment is different for everyone. We all walk such a unique path in our journey to Heaven. I stood in my bedroom, the hanger forgotten in my hand as I...
There is No Rule Book in Parenting
On the day you were born, God gave your parents a rule book. It gave them all the instruction necessary for raising their specific child. Ever thoughtful, He replaced it...
Mothering the Skeptic
Every once in a while you get lucky, as a parent, to encounter a teacher who completely understands your child. My daughter’s third grade teacher was a wonderful angel in...
A Mother's Prayer for Summer
I’m sure I am not alone in thinking that the winter of 2017/2018 will go down in history as the longest winter ever. Well into April, freezing temperatures and snowfall...
Longing for Motherhood
I sat in the pew, clenching my husband’s hand and biting my lip to numb the pain and fight back the tears. All the mothers stood to receive a special...
Spiritual Advice for the First-Time Mom
I became a mom nearly a year ago. I still remember, vividly, the moment the doctor pulled my son out of me. His fair skin, small arms, a head full...
Mom Guilt and Answered Prayers
“Are you telling me you’re upset because you have more time on your hands than you know what to do with?” questioned my husband, John. Tears welled up in my...
From Counting Shortcomings to Counting Blessings
I’ve been running around the house the last few days like a drill sergeant with a severe case of OCD. “What?!” I shriek at my lovable toddler as he tracks...
Helping Our Daughters Be Free and Confident
Throughout the Gospels, there seems to be a growing awareness, astonishment, and even discouragement in the disciples about how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God: When the...
Not-So-Typical Unique Catholic Baby Names
When my husband and I were expecting our first baby, we knew we wanted to give our baby a name from the tradition of our Faith. Of course, choosing a...
Finding Joy in the Teen Years (Plus Advice from the Trenches)
I recently Googled “parenting teens” just to see what would come up. To my complete lack of surprise, here are some of the articles that popped up on the first...