During the liturgical season of Lent, many Catholics go to Confession even if they haven’t gone regularly during the year. My parish recently had a Reconciliation Service for our youth ministry, and my 13 year old was very nervous about going. Maybe you have kids who feel nervous about going to Confession as well, so in this podcast, I offer a few lifestyle tips that might help our children feel more comfortable about going. Here’s an overview of the show:

1. Do an examen with your child every evening at bedtime.

Help your child at bedtime review the events of the day, recognizing God’s blessings and asking forgiveness for their failings. This prepares them for doing an examination of conscience before Confession.

2. Use gentle discipline methods.

How we respond to our children when they break a rule or hurt somebody will create a model in their minds for how God responds to them when they need His forgiveness. We can offer firm guidance, but unconditional forgiveness.

3. Help your child define who he wants to become.

It’s crucial to their moral development that we help older children and teens define what kind of person they want to become and what virtues they need to practice in order to become that person. Confession allows them to leave behind sin and pursue excellence.

Resources

  • Jane Nelsen’s Positive Discipline resources.
  • Gentle Discipline by Sarah Ockwell-Smith. Fantastic resource. “Citing the latest research in child development, psychology and neuroscience, Gentle Discipline debunks common myths about punishments, rewards, the ‘naughty chair,’ and more, and presents practical, connection-based techniques that really work–and that bring parents and kids closer together instead of driving then apart.
  • Study mentioned in podcast. (How a child’s attachment status shapes his later experience of God in adulthood.) Angie McDonald, et al., “Attachment to God and Parents: Testing the Correspondence v. Compensation Hypotheses.” Journal of Psychology and Christianity. Students who grew up in “emotionally cold” homes were more likely to be avoidant in their relationship with God; students who grew up in rigid, authoritarian style homes were not only avoidant with God, but they were also anxious about approaching God.
  • Catholic spiritual direction. If you can’t find resources near you, this might be a good place to start.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This