Family

We need to take a sacramental view of ordinary life – Mike and Alicia Hernon

We often say that family culture is the secret weapon of Catholic families.  Why is this?  Because the culture within your home is more powerful than any written word.  It communicates expectations, beliefs, and values to everyone in the family.  In this podcast, we tackle some questions that listeners have sent into us about the culture within their homes. We answer questions like “what do I do about kids always fighting?”, “how do I take care of individual kids in a big family?”, “how do we handle birthdays?”, and “Help! I feel like I’m drowning!” (which isn’t exactly a question, but it is a common email we get!).  In all of these situations, the issue comes back again and again to the culture you are fostering within your home.  When you see all that you do in light of that, all the other issues will fall into place.  Listen in and learn about this powerful tool that every parent should develop.  

Getaway: https://catholiccouplesgetaway.com/
Listener Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/XW98NMH

Key Takeaways:

• The culture within your home trains your children on how to wait, how to take turns, and how to play together. 
• If community is a value to your and your spouse, you need to find a way to make it work for both of you. 
• Part of your family culture is how you celebrate birthdays, significant days for your child, and holidays.  Find what works for your family and use that ritual to communicate to your children how important they are to you. 
• When you have a child who is hard to love, the first question to ask is “What is it in ME that is making it hard to love this child?  How do I need to change?”
• When you are drowning, get scuba certified.  Yes, having children who are all very young is a challenging time, but you can learn some incredible lessons through this time if you embrace it and receive God’s grace through it all.  You will be stronger in the end! 

Couple Discussion:

• What is our family culture communicating to our individual children? 
• How are we communicating about the commitments we are making outside of our family? 
• Do we have our priorities right?  Are we putting in place our identity first as a daughter or son of God, then as a husband or wife, and then as a mom or dad, and last everything else?  How can we live this out more effectively? 

References : 

• Family Culture Download
• Shalom episode with Fr. Boniface
• Podcasts:
  • Survival Zone
  • Sibling Relationships
  • Honoring
  • A Conversation with Dr. John Delony
• Link to Iowa Family Conference registration

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“Christian brotherhood is not an ideal which we must realize; it is rather a reality created by God in Christ in which we may participate.” ― Dietrich Bonhoeffer

God did not create man in isolation, He created man to live in community with others.  This is the best path for the full development of the human person!  Men need other men to push them, support them, love them, and let them know they have what it takes.  In this touching interview, Mike talks to John Doman, Alicia’s dad, about his experience as a young Marine in Viet Nam and the events that set the course of his life.  They cover John’s marriage to Michele, his wife of 50 yrs, his struggle with PTSD after the war, and how the brothers God gave him throughout his life saved him again and again – physically and spiritually. Listen to this very important conversation about the importance of relationships and how God can use them to show us His love over and over again.  

Family Board Meeting – LIVE! : messyfamilyproject.org/course/family-board-meeting-live/

Watch here: https://youtu.be/FIT6s7szDlU

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“Teaching is an essential part of our faith that reminds us that following Jesus Christ transforms every part of our lives, from our attitude toward money, to the choices we make at the doctor’s office, to the way we build our families.”

– Nancy Bandzuch

Parents are charged by God to be good stewards of their children and caring for children includes forming them in the faith and teaching them!  This is especially important in our culture where there is widespread confusion about some of the most essential issues, in addition to issues where Catholics can disagree.  Nancy Bandzuch has taken on this challenge to help parents discuss these issues with their children clearly in the book Catholic Social Teaching for Youth available through her ministry Catholic Sprouts.  In this interview, we talk about why this task of the formation of children is so important, how to use this book for a variety of ages, and what is covered.  Listen in to be empowered to embrace the task of forming your children in the truth.

www.CatholicSprouts.com

www.CatholicCouplesGetaway.com

Watch here: https://youtu.be/zse3JrTzNuU

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“Words of affirmation are simply true statements affirming the worth of another person” ~Gary Chapman

Parents need to take time to consider how they are intentionally calling out the good in the lives of their children because it is within the family that people have their identity – who they are – confirmed and then affirmed over the years. This is just as essential to children as food, clothing, or education! One of the ways we have instilled affirmation in our family culture is the practice of “honoring”. We usually do honorings on someone’s birthday or times of transition like graduations. Listen to this podcast to find out how to start this practice in your home, why it is important, and the effect it can have on your family. 

For more information on this and other topics visit: https://www.messyfamilyproject.org/

Watch here: https://youtu.be/tHK1vP_SOXE

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“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. “

– Mark Twain

All families need to play together.  Why?  Because this is how you lay the foundation for your child’s belief in God, his self-esteem, and this is how you communicate to him, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you love him.  In this podcast, we dive deeply into the importance of doing an intentional Family Fun Day and give some practical tips on how to do it so everyone wins.  This month’s Play and Pray Challenge is a great excuse to think about how you can grow closer as a family through play and fun!  

• Play and Pray challenge
• Getaway – Early bird ends 6/30 – catholiccouplesgetaway.com
• MFP 091: King of the Home
• MFP 205: Nine First Fridays to Change the World

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FEBRUARY 8–12, 2024

Catholic Couples Getaway

When was the last time you got away to refresh your marriage and refocus your vision for your family life? It’s time! Join us. Early bird ends 6/30!! Learn More JUNE 2023

Pray + Play Challenge

If you want to pray with your family, you have to play with them! We challenge you to have fun and grow in holiness with your family. Learn More

One thing that we at the Messy Family Project are passionate about is family culture. We call it “the secret weapon of the Catholic family” because it can be so powerful! In this interview, we talk to Elissa Tiprigan of Catholic Family Crate, a business that is in the business of Catholic culture. We talk about how and why she started her business, the importance of beauty in the home, and the elements of what it takes to bring a family together. This episode is full of great ideas of how to engage your children from toddlers to teenagers and bring them into closer relationship with you and with the Lord who is the source of life. As a special gift, we are also including this download on Building a Catholic Culture at Home that you can use to look at your family culture and get some ideas to strengthen it. In addition, Elissa gave all our listeners get 20% off sitewide by using the code MESSYFAMILY!

And here is their website: Catholic Family Crate

And a link to all their free resources

Watch the episode here

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