Ooohhh. We just got the Catholic radio station, and I've really been enjoying it, but I definitely see what you mean. He is always on, isn't he!? And he is kind of rough. I actually e-mailed him about the AP show. I didn't get a response.
JMJ, thank you for posting that link. It helped to restore some of my faith and pride in the Catholicism-AP connection.
In defense of Drew, my husband works right around the corner from the studio and personally interviewed Drew for a school project while he was working on his digital media degree. He is a faithful, committed Catholic man, and graciously agreed to the interview with very little notice. He is prayerful and has a deep devotion to Our Mother, and was able to share some of this deeply held beliefs and how he has witnessed the work of the Holy Spirit in his life and others. The format of his show is intended to cast a Catholic light onto topics that are currently popular or in the media. I prefer to listen when he is doing the Divine Chaplet, but his show is generally miles above Rush or Hannity or the like. I did cringe at his first go at the breastfeeding topic, but he followed up the next day with an AP advocate. I wasn't in my car long enough to hear how that went, but I think he was responsive to the feedback of those who were upset with the initial choice of host on the topic. If you are looking for more spiritual content from Relevant Radio, I believe shows earlier in the day provide more of that. Also, if you are so inclined, my dh was invited to apply for a board operator position with the station and I would covet prayers over his potential employment!
Hmmm... I listen to Catholic Radio (Immaculate Heart Radio, but we get a lot of shows from EWTN, Ave Maria Radio, etc) all the time, and his name doesn't ring a bell. I didn't listen much the week after the Time piece since I had family in town. I'm jealous of places that have Greg Popcack's show, but the shows we have tend to be really good. I've been Catholic my whole life, and I'm still always learning something new I never thought of before.
Thank you all very much! 
I've been listening to Catholic radio since last summer-ish? and it seems to be a lot of EWTN here, too. I don't get EWTN on my television. Bummer.
I am trying to check in at MDC, but not get sucked back into you know, practically living here, so my visits will be very sporadic and brief.
Responding to the OP about ways to get together with large families: "As I asked on our previous thread, I was wondering if any of you have ideas on how to get together IRL with other Catholic families who have lots of children. There are 3 other Catholic families that we're trying to get to know better, but it's difficult to find a place to share a meal with 8 adults and 14 children. One family has a big yard and promises to invite everybody over for a barbecue when it gets warmer, but when it's not summer, what to do?"
We found a lovely way to gather with other Catholic families, I thought I'd share in case it's a help to you.
We attended a Friday evening mass together, then came back to our house. Not huge, we use all the space we have. We served soup, bread and water. Some folks brought extra stuff: wine, dessert, cheese, veggies, although none were requested.
Kids played and grown-ups talked.
Simple, easy and delightful.
May I please join you, ladies? I've been Catholic my whole life, and while I've only ever attended Catholic schools, as an adult I've mostly attended weekly mass because I was supposed to, but without much else devotion. My husband and I have found a vibrant, active parish with lots of families and I was blessed to attend the women's Christ Renews His Parish (CHRP) retreat in February, which has really pushed me to want to deepen my faith so that I can more fully pass it on to my children. I am now in the formation process for the team to lead next year's retreat, which I am very excited and nervous about.
Our parish does not have a school, (but a very active religious education program) and we have decided that the other nearby Catholic schools are not a good fit for our family, but I am still struggling with our decision to enroll our son in our neighborhood public school for kindergarten this fall. I love the idea of Catholic homeschooling, but I don't know if I have the skills to give my children the education that they deserve. I am praying about this and looking into the Catholic homeschooling group in our area.
I am rambling in this post, but I wanted to thank JMJ for sharing that blog post related to the Time article. That was something that I really needed to read right now as I have been distracted by the frustrations of social media recently. My favorite Catholic support of attachment parenting is Sheila Kippley's "Breastfeeding and Catholic Motherhood." It's disheartening that some vocal Catholics aren't showing their support as well.
Originally Posted by Ann15
Our parish does not have a school, (but a very active religious education program) and we have decided that the other nearby Catholic schools are not a good fit for our family, but I am still struggling with our decision to enroll our son in our neighborhood public school for kindergarten this fall. I love the idea of Catholic homeschooling, but I don't know if I have the skills to give my children the education that they deserve. I am praying about this and looking into the Catholic homeschooling group in our area.
Welcome!
I just wanted to give my two cents about homeschooling. I'm a teacher, so I definitely have a bias here, but I think a public school backed up with lots of parental involvement is a much better option than homeschooling when a parent has doubts about their qualifications to educate. I'm not against all homeschooling, but when I think of everything a teacher has to know (not just the subject [or in the case of a homeschooler, subjects!] but also the pedagogy and management and evaluation)...I do not see most parents as having those qualifications. My own children will be in public school...I would not feel comfortable giving them an elementarty education without the training. As for secondary, I could do everything but math, physics, and chemistry, but those would be some very big holes in their education!
Welcome Ann! I'm glad you enjoyed that blog post as much as I did.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on homeschooling, mt_gooseberry. That is really helpful to me. My MIL had a career in education, and she is very strongly against our plans to homeschool, and it's hard for me to understand why, and your thoughts on the matter are very helpful for my understanding of where she must be coming from.
My experience of homeschooling is different. Most families I know who homeschool do an excellent job of providing for the education of their children, and most homeschooled children I know are ahead of their peers in most subjects. Many parents are not as qualified as they would like to teach certain subjects, and there are a number of ways to handle this. I think that a common misperception of homeschooling is that it is just the mother and the kids, and the mother has to know everything to teach it to her children. Homeschooling situations that work well often involve a number of families, and they pool their skills to teach the subjects needed. Some parents seek tutoring for their children in subjects they aren't qualified to teach. I've even seen a school that is designed for homeschoolers to come a couple times a week and attend with their parents to take subjects that could not be taught as well at home. Above all, I see a lot of homeschoolers learning how to self-teach by reading about things, and I see a lot of co-learning where the parent learns the subjects along with the children, enhancing the experience for both.
I like all this discussion about homeschooling. I definitely think homeschooling CAN work, but very often I see that it doesn't. I myself would have done very well homeschooled if my parents had gone that route, as I am a very self-motivated learner. And I think in areas where there are lots of opportunities for homeschoolers to support their education (vis. JMJ's examples) there can be more success. We have a lot of homeschooling here in MT among the rural population, and next to no regulations. It makes for some interesting results. I think the homeschooling option would be good for very bright or precocious children with very dedicated parents. And there is not much harm in trying homeschooling out--you can always go back to traditional schooling if it doesn't seem to be working out. In any case, whether your children are homeschooled or in public school, BE INVOLVED!
Thanks for the homeschooling perspectives! I have a bachelor's degree, so I think I meet the minimum qualifications, but I don't know that I have the patience and organization that it would take to homeschool well. I feel a little pressure because my mom was a Catholic school teacher, so I think that she is a bit disappointed that we are choosing the public school option, and my sister is doing a great job of homeschooling her kids with a Catholic homeschool group. I know that I need to do what I think is best for my family though. I think IL has pretty minimal regulation, but they also make it difficult to get extra services for the kids who need them if they aren't enrolled in the public school. DS might need some extra fine motor help, which we are doing through a private OT right now, but I don't want him to miss out on extra school-provided services if needed too.
Another question for the group: Do you take your young children to weekday mass? Sunday is always a bit of a struggle even with DH and I to wrangle both kids, but I would like to start going one extra day in the morning if I could manage it. DH's work schedule doesn't allow for him to attend weekday mass with us unfortunately.
I am an elementary teacher by profession with a master's in the field... and we will definitely home school. (We are in Europe, though.) TBH, I do not see a parent needing most of the things that are taught to teachers whose job it is to control and teach a larger group of kids. What the parents don't know, they can learn, if they are truly interested. Yet, I will say that my husband was against home schooling years ago, having met some kids who had not been taught how to read, etc. The parents were quite out there, though, and seemed to almost fear education, as if that would steal the kids' faith.
We have no opportunity to go to Mass during the week, as our nearest parish is so far. We try to make each Sunday very special, also outside of Mass... If we ever live closer to a church, we will definitely try to go more often....
We try to make it to daily Mass when we can, but it doesn't happen as much as I would like. DD (3) usually does very well since she's been going to Mass her whole life and she gets to nurse for a bit during the homily. DS (3 mos) still sleeps through a lot of it, and I wear him to keep my hands free to deal with DD. I've been to daily Mass a whole lot of places around town and on vacations, and I almost always have the only kids in the room, and everyone there seems so excited to see me bringing my children to Mass, even when their behavior isn't great. I tend to get sympathetic glances when I drag a screaming toddler out during the consecration and greetings and compliments afterward, even when it wasn't a great day. People are just so glad to see the faith being passed on to our children, and they seem willing to put up with a little bit of distraction from them.
It's good to see you LTB! How is your pregnancy going?
I tend to get sympathetic glances when I drag a screaming toddler out during the consecration and greetings and compliments afterward, even when it wasn't a great day.
Why is it always during the consecration?!? LOL, without fail, that is either when DD bonks her head on the pew in front of us or has to go to the bathroom. Always!
Moonshoes- you're lucky to be able to tag team! I wish we had that option. We're in a rural small town and there is one service, held only on Sundays.
Is anyone going to do anything for Fortnight for Freedom?
Is anyone going to do anything for Fortnight for Freedom?
I'm doing a facebook post series with different quotes on freedom of religion and the feast days of the different saints and martyrs being celebrated during this time. There's not much else going on in our diocese... something an hour away in the middle of naptime, and a holy hour with the local nuns half an hour away starting at bedtime...
sarahsmiles, I'm glad to hear it went so well! There will undoubtedly be good days and bad days, but your faithfulness will be rewarded. How sweet of your little girl to be so active in sharing the faith with her brother!
God must be trying to say something to me about kids at Mass. The announcer before Mass last Sunday at my church, along with his reminder to turn off cell phones, reminded parents of their obligation to teach their children how to behave during Mass and everyone else to be patient with said children as they're learning. During Mass, one of the distracting thoughts that entered my mind was how difficult it is to get to know other families from my church because so many don't bring their children to Mass or bolt out the door as soon as Mass is over. Then, sarahsmiles, you post about taking your kids to Mass, and I see these two blog posts on facebook this week.
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