Stations of the Cross for Very Young Children

Several years ago, my oldest daughter and I published The Stations of the Cross for Children. Every Friday in Lent we do the stations together as a family. This year, our youngest, Junior, showed keen interest in participating. He would try to read the words in the book and sing along, but the font was too small for him, and several of the words were too hard.

So I adapted The Stations of the Cross for him. I used a larger font and made the pictures bigger. Then, I wrote very short meditations with simple words and short sentences I knew he could (mostly) read and understand. The text is very simplistic, but I believe that beautiful artwork can draw even young children into prayer. Just looking at the artwork together with your child and talking about the details can help him/her to understand and imagine Our Lord’s passion.

Continue reading “Stations of the Cross for Very Young Children”

A Lenten Resolution for Perfectionist Moms

How’s your Lent going? One of the things I love about Lent (no, it’s not the fasting) is that I get a second chance at that New Year’s resolution I have long since broken. Even better, I’m convinced that during Lent Our Lord gives us extra graces to persevere in our resolutions. Perhaps this is because during Lent our sacrifices are aimed at uniting ourselves more closely to His holy cross.

Last week Our Lord made it very clear what He wanted me to give up for Lent. You see, I love my kids, obviously. And I’m truly grateful to be able to stay at home with them. But sometimes, being home with them all day can be a real pain. On any given day, there are so many things my precious ones can do to annoy or frustrate me, not necessarily out of their own fault, but rather because I have the misfortune of being the perfectionist type.

Continue reading “A Lenten Resolution for Perfectionist Moms”