A Child's Rule of Life

A Child's Rule of Life, by Robert Hugh Benson, Neumann Press.

Shared by Mary L.

Spirituality in the Home

Family traditions shared by Mary L.:

Holy Thursday - Bake fish-shaped bread and serve it with "wine" (grape juice)

Easter - Family members stand in a circle with their hard boiled Easter eggs in hand. The first person turns to one side and says to the person next to him "He is risen.", the second person responds, "Truly, He has risen." and they crack their two eggs together. The second person then turns to the individual on his opposite side and repeats the process. This continues around the circle until the first person has the chance to respond "Truly, He has risen." A fun way to crack Easter eggs on Easter morning!

Lay Orders

In November the Mom’s meeting focused on Lay Orders. Three Religious Groups were represented: the Franciscans, the Dominicans, and the Discalced Carmelites. Also, representatives from the Legion of Mary spoke about active and auxiliary membership. All the talks included information about the history of the order and the prayer life of its members. Our own Carol T. gave a truly (Holy) spirit-filled talk on the Carmelites. For further information please contact Rebecca C., who did a great job organizing this event.

The Day

The day has ended,

the day has ended.

Another big day will come again.

by Samantha (age 5)

Cat

by Catherine B. (age 4)

Island Boy

Island Boyby Barbara Cooney

Matthias grows from a young (homeschooled) boy to a grandfather on an island in New England.

Character Development and Discipline

This was a very productive meeting in which many topics were covered. Regarding character development and discipline, the following suggestions were made:
Donna B. highly recommended La Leche League’s books on discipline. Although she doesn’t agree with all of what La Leche League says on discipline, she does believe they have a very sound approach. She has found their suggestions helpful with her children.

Christine B. recommended Dr. Ray Guarendi for his discipline techniques. He can be heard on Sacred Heart Radio. He has also written several books on raising children, among them You’re a Better Parent than You Think.

When discussing how to help children behave at Mass, the following ideas were given:

Mary L. shared how she used to have a little fur mouse in her pocket, which she reserved specifically for use during Mass. She also suggested a mother on her own, sit next to someone else to help keep the children quiet.

Denise S. spoke of the importance of taking children to Mass, while being sensitive to their needs. She believes children should be taken to the crying room only when it becomes necessary.