Being a mother, I know how difficult it is to be around kids–supervise them, teach them etc. So I could imagine how tough a teacher’s job is–being supervisor to a handful of children. How do you treat your child’s teacher? I have a few friends who are not in the best terms with their children’s teacher and I do not see anything positive coming from such rifts. So I would want to prepare myself so I could better understand my kid’s future teacher and have the best relationship with him/her.

So how do you treat your child’s teacher? How do you maintain a positive relationship with him/her?

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There are a lot of things we tell our children not to do. We tell them to ask nicely and not act out when they need something. We tell them not to scream and not to hurt others. But are we actually doing our part in helping our children do these things? More than the lessons we teach them verbally, I believe that the most effective way we can teach our children certain things is through modeling.

We can talk to our children everyday about how they should behave, but if they do not see us doing the things that we are teaching them, they are very likely to still fall into unhealthy behaviors. Actions, as they say are more powerful than words. So when parents often act like children, should we be surprised that children throw tantrums?

So the next time your child throws a tantrum, take a second to think about your response. Would your response be something that you want your child to emulate? Or is it a behavior you would not want to see in your child?

The post Parents Often Act Like Children appeared first on My Catholic Blog.

Although the Holy Spirit wishes to guide us on our spiritual journey it is not a magical genie that comes to us whenever we say a quick prayer. So how do we hear the Holy Spirit? How can we hear the Spirit’s “still small voice” amidst this noisy and chaotic world that we are living in?

Well, I may not have the exact answers to these questions, but I know that learning to hear the Holy Spirit’s voice takes time, an open and willing heart, and a sensitive ear. Furthermore, considering that the Holy Spirit comes to testify about Jesus, I believe that knowing more about Jesus will help us better recognize the Spirit’s voice when he comes to speak to us.

So how do we hear the the Holy Spirit? I suppose that it’s up to the individual to find their own way. How do you listen?

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Often, we are unable to realize that the tweaks that God makes in our lives are what will make it more beautiful. As it says in one of my favorite Bible verse, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11) God knows the way to make our lives beautiful, so allow God to write our story as he sees fit.

I know that it is hard to see and understand where God is guiding us at times, but know that he has the best plans for us–plans that are way better than the ones we have made for ourselves.

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I want my boys to be strong. I want them to be able to feel all kinds of emotion and still thrive. I want them to take risks, to take on challenges, to look adversity in the eye, to scrape themselves off, to always find a way to keep going. I want them to know they are good enough. To know they are enough. They are imperfect, but they are enough.

I got these beautiful words from this blog post: “I Want My Boys To Be Strong.” They touched my heart so much and really resonated deeply within me. I have the same desires for my boys. I mean don’t we all have the same wishes for our children? More than physical strength, I want my children to possess great inner strength–an unshakable faith in God and a strong sense of self-respect and belief in their capacities. How do I raise strong children though? Is my desire to enough?

I want my children to grow up and become conquerors–of other people’s hearts, of their fears and dreams. I want them to grow up thinking that there is nothing the cannot do with God’s help and the right mindset and attitude. But how do I do this? How do I raise strong children?

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While the historical representations of Pentecost cannot be undermined, I would also like to bring up the spiritual significance of Pentecost on a personal level. What does Pentecost really mean spiritually to a modern-day follower of Christ? To me, I look at Pentecost as a day to renew my commitment to fulfilling my role in Christ’s ministry, and a time to ask God to fill me afresh with the Spirit so that I might serve him even better.

If you want to understand the celebration of Pentecost even more, this post would greatly help you: Pentecost: “The Coming of the Holy Spirit.” It gets more in depth about the spiritual significance of Pentecost.

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Idolatry is a sin. We know this for a fact as the Lord clearly states in his 10 commandments, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” However, the problem is, a lot of people these days commit the sin of idolatry without even knowing it. Why? Because they hold this notion that “idolatry” simply means believing and worshiping someone else other than God.

While idolatry in the Old Testament primarily deals with worship of graven images of sticks and stones, there are many forms of idolatry today. Money is a modern day golden calf. People have become so obsessed with it, that I really do believe it is an idol. So how do we know if we are committing the sin of idolatry? Well, I believe that anything that takes away our devotion to God is an idol.

Take this passage from the Bible as an inspiration:

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21

If you want to read the message of Pope Francis that I mentioned above, here it is: ’Money Has To Serve, Not Rule!’ Money is the a modern day golden calf, and that was the point of this post. However other things can certainly play the golden calf role as well. Be careful about your priorities.

The post Money is a Modern Day Golden Calf appeared first on My Catholic Blog.

Most children complain of their parents nagging. While I understand the stress that parents have to go through on a daily basis that pushes them to nag, I would not say that children have no right to complain. Nagging is draining–not only on the part of the person who is doing the talking but also on the other person(s) involved. So how do you avoid nagging as a parent? Easier said than done, right?

I won’t say that I have not nagged my entire life, because honestly, I have many times. However, I have realized through my parenting years that nagging is pointless because it rarely helps me get what I want from my kids. So, I have been working (really hard) on keeping myself from nagging. Some of the things that I have been doing are these:

1. I make sure that I have my child’s full attention before giving him directions.

2. I ask my child to repeat what I said.

3. I clearly tell them the consequences for noncompliance or defiance.

4. I show appreciation when they follow through.

How do YOU avoid nagging as a parent? Let me know your tips because we could all use a little help sometimes, right?

The post How Do You Avoid Nagging as a Parent? appeared first on My Catholic Blog.

We can teach our kids a lot of things to help them succeed in life; responsibility, dedication, perseverance, etc. When we look at all the great men that have changed the world, it isn’t hard to see what drove them to do the great feats that they have accomplished– burning passion. More than intelligence or skills, it is raw passion that helps people to succeed. When you feel passionate about what you are doing, you feel unstoppable. You feel confident, motivated and full of enthusiasm. Passionate people you don’t stop halfway. This is why raising passionate kids has always been of importance to me.

I believe that inside every child lies a powerful “spark”—a passion or interest that excites and empowers. How do we help our children discover their passion? More importantly, what can we do to nourish and support it?

The post Raising Passionate Kids: How Can Parents Help? appeared first on My Catholic Blog.

We can exhaust ourselves in radical thanksgiving and it still won’t be enough to thank God for all that he has done for us. So what do we do? Honestly, I don’t know, just keep trying. I find this quote from William A. Ward enlightening, “God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today.  Have you used one to say “thank you?”.  Saying thank you to God, sounds like a good start to me.

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