ICP Blog
parenting tips and faith ideas; commentary on parenting science; perspectives on faith and culture
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NOTE: As my children are launching from the nest, I am spending less time on my parenting ministry and more time in my law practice. I will maintain this website and I hope you find some of the resources here helpful! But I will not be adding new content, and I have removed subscription forms. I am no longer podcasting or producing “The Anchor and Maze” newsletter.
Skeletons, Pumpkins, and Judgment, OH MY
Every year on Halloween night, one of my neighbors puts a sign in her window: "NO CANDY. We are Christians. We do not celebrate Halloween." So far none of my kids has remarked on this sign that I can recall. In particular, they have never asked,...
Back-to-School Traditions for Your Catholic Family
Family traditions give our kids a little life jacket in the often unsteady waters of childhood. As we approach the beginning of a new school year, it’s a great time to think of ways to honor our child’s big step in starting a new grade...
Celebrating Your Child’s “Name Day”
August is "name day month" in my home, because all of my children have patron saints whose feast days fall in the month of August: Lydia (August 3), Dominic (August 8), Claire (August 11), and Aidan (August 31). Years ago, when I began researching...
Avoiding Distractions in Our Mothering: Tips from Pope Francis
I was stuck in traffic recently so I tuned into Catholic radio. The radio show host was discussing some advice Pope Francis gives to nuns in his apostolic constitution Vultum Dei Quaerere (“Seeking the Face of God”): he warned them about the...
3 Reasons Dads Are Important
My husband Philip and I were talking recently about fatherhood, not only because we just celebrated Fathers Day, but because we are on a long family road trip and I am witnessing the strength of my husband's fatherliness every day in close quarters...
Helping Kids Cope with “Failure”
Every child faces the disappointment of not doing as well as they hoped on a test or not placing in a competition. Some kids bounce back from these "failures" and even seem to learn something from them, while other kids become so down on themselves...