Home Sweet Home

My five-year-old son Benjamin’s comment that no one wrapped the swimming towel around him  like mommy melted my heart.   His perception that I tenderly nurtured, despite how inept and clumsy I feel about it at times, validated a core parenting philosophy: to fill our kids up with love and warm memories so they have the fortitude to fight the good fight in the world.

Lots of warmth, investment, support, fun facilitation, family time, promotion of sibling harmony and rich faith experiences accompany the high standards my husband and I have for our kids.  We don’t equivocate on the expectations for living authentically Catholic lives regardless of whether in season or not or whether the peers approve.

Sometimes the high road gets rocky. And particularly when our kids experience some metaphorical bruises and bumps from faith-clashing encounters, we want our home to be the oasis our kids can  return to when they’ve been beaten up in the world.

But I almost made a miscalculation that almost undercut our entire strategy. Tune in to the next blog for some advice on what not to overlook when making your home a “home sweet home”.

The Catholic Women’s Guide to Healthy Relationships Tip:  Make one improvement so your home is more sweet for you and your family.