Category: Parenting and Character Development

12 Classic Novels Girls Should Read before Turning 12

Published on by Mary Cooney6 Comments

Give your daughters some classic novels to read this summer — books so beautifully written that the characters become like childhood friends. I have read many of these over and over again as a girl, and I can honestly say they have been very formative. A poignant, well-crafted novel can help shape the heart and form the mind. Here are 12 classic novels which do just that.

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How to be a Happier Parent

Published on by Mary Cooney1 Comment

Here’s a special treat for you! I recently read a newly-released book, Be a Happier Parent or Laugh Trying. The author,  Betsy Kerekes, happens to be a homeschooling mom who has learned, (and I quote her) “If you don’t laugh, you cry, but laughing is more fun.” Isn’t that the truth! Here’s the  interview I had with her for Mercatornet. I’m sure you’ll appreciate her stories, humor, and her great perspective on dealing with parenting calamities.

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Helping Children Overcome Frustration

Published on by Mary Cooney1 Comment

Question: How do you prevent frustration on your child’s part when you home school?

One challenging thing about homeschooling is that children do not hold back their emotions from their parents as they would (usually) do with their school teachers. In the absence of peer pressure, children feel less compelled to keep their emotions in check. Thus, in a home school, children are more likely to burst into tears or go into a fit of rage over a difficult math problem. This can pose a considerable problem for us parents, one that can cause us to feel inadequate and frustrated ourselves.

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25 Family Friendly Movies

Published on by Mary Cooney3 Comments

A merry and blessed Christmas to you and your family! If your kids are like ours, they’ll probably be begging to watch a movie or two over the Christmas break.  Lately, however, we’ve been having a hard time finding good, clean movies that appeal to a wide spectrum of ages. Sometimes it takes us a full hour of searching before we settle on one.

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Christmas Carols and Why Children Should Sing Them

Published on by Mary Cooney1 Comment

A few years ago, we began the tradition of singing Christmas carols. It all started when Feisty and Sparky had roles in our parish’s Christmas pageant.  Someone gave 6-year-old Sparky the role of Joseph, which was a terrible idea. During the rehearsals, our impish, irrepressible Sparky kept pretending to scold Baby Jesus. I was terrified concerned that Sparky would scold Baby Jesus during the actual pageant, but he played the role perfectly, with a reverence and seriousness we never knew he was capable of. Phew! Anyways, the kids had to learn the songs, so we practiced the carols at home. And we all loved it.

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A Bright Consensus About Screens and Kids

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Earlier this week, the NY Times published an interesting article: A Dark Consensus About Screens and Kids Begins to Emerge in Silicon Valley. Essentially, there is a growing movement among the technical gurus of Silicon Valley to seriously restrict their children’s use of cell phones and tablets. Interesting, but not surprising. As my husband says, it’s pretty obvious that smart phones and tablets are not good for kids, especially when you see them so sedate and glued to the screen. Normal heathy kids should be running around, playing outside, and using their imaginations. Most parents would agree that we need to limit the amount of time our children spend in front of the screen; many parents struggle to do so.

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Screwtape Intercepted: An Angelic Letter for a Homeschool Mom #2

Published on by Mary Cooney2 Comments

I hope you enjoyed last week’s Screwtape Letter for a Homeschool Mom #2. Screwtape is a nasty one, isn’t he? You’ll be glad to know that Bitterwench never did get the letter because, just like last time,  Martha’s vigilant Guardian Angel intercepted it. Here is Archangel Gabriel’s advice to Angel Fairlight:

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How Catholic Parents Can Reform the Church

Published on by Mary Cooney3 Comments

It’s been a tough summer for Catholics this year, and I would not be surprised if by now you’re tired of hearing and reading about church scandals, church politics, and maybe even church in general. As we wait for our bishops, cardinals, and the Pope to shed light on how they will address these problems and “clean house”, we lay people can feel rather helpless. Especially as we watch our beloved Church get attacked from the outside and ripped apart from within.

But I have news for you… well not quite news, but an important reminder:

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Church Scandals – What’s a Parent to Do?

Published on by Mary Cooney5 Comments

How have you been coping with all the recent news of church scandals and clergy abuse of minors? All this news makes me sick to my stomach. Part of me doesn’t want to think about it, much less talk about it. But that’s part of the problem, isn’t it? The silence, the covering-up, the pretense that sexual abuse by clergy isn’t really real.

But it is.

And while church officials talk about accountability and processes to protect youth and reform the system, we parents need to take the bull by the horns and talk about it with our kids (at least middle schoolers and older). If we don’t, they will catch wind of it somewhere else and feel confused and scandalized (as they should), and their faith may be seriously compromised. Here are three points to think about and possibly talk about with your kids:

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Helping Your Child to Practice Piano Effectively

Published on by Mary Cooney4 Comments

Here’s a question that came in as a comment: How do you deal with piano practice? I find that if I let my children (8, 5) practise themselves, they’ll skip some scales and end up doing really shoddy work on their pieces. I find myself having to sit down with them every time in order to get good progress, and it’s really frustrating because I can’t do chores or help/play with/read to the younger ones. I’d really appreciate your advice, thanks.

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