“We are made for family. For many people, this is a self-evident truth; but for some, it is an empty or broken promise, an almost unbelievable proposition. In recent generations, we have seen the family, as an institution, fall into rapid decline. A century ago most marriages ended only with the death of a spouse. Today, many marriages end, bitterly in divorce. Many children must come to terms with feelings off abandonment one or both parents. Many adults struggle with anger and a deep sense of betrayal. Family dysfunction is epidemic, if not pandemic. 
 For the victims of such circumstances, the word “family” does not evoke happy memories or pleasant associations. For them, it seems a cruel God who would create us to live amid treachery, unkindness, or even abuse.
 
 Those who have grown up in dysfunctional homes, or those who have been betrayed by lovers, know that they have been deprived of some great good. Their anger, bitterness, and sadness overwhelm them precisely because they know they lack something essential. They have been deprived of something that is theirs by right. They nurse a deep wound, and a wound is the sign that something in nature has been pierced, cut or broken.
 
 The wound is a sign that they lacked something that a family should have provided. Their family was not what it should have been, not what God created it to be. The fault, then is not with the family as God created it, but with the particular families as they stray from God’s plan. Family dysfunction is undoubtedly a consequence of Original Sin; but it is not something God dreamed up to torment us.” - Scott Hahn

“We are made for family. For many people, this is a self-evident truth; but for some, it is an empty or broken promise, an almost unbelievable proposition. In recent generations, we have seen the family, as an institution, fall into rapid decline. A century ago most marriages ended only with the death of a spouse. Today, many marriages end, bitterly in divorce. Many children must come to terms with feelings off abandonment one or both parents. Many adults struggle with anger and a deep sense of betrayal. Family dysfunction is epidemic, if not pandemic.

For the victims of such circumstances, the word “family” does not evoke happy memories or pleasant associations. For them, it seems a cruel God who would create us to live amid treachery, unkindness, or even abuse.

Those who have grown up in dysfunctional homes, or those who have been betrayed by lovers, know that they have been deprived of some great good. Their anger, bitterness, and sadness overwhelm them precisely because they know they lack something essential. They have been deprived of something that is theirs by right. They nurse a deep wound, and a wound is the sign that something in nature has been pierced, cut or broken.

The wound is a sign that they lacked something that a family should have provided. Their family was not what it should have been, not what God created it to be. The fault, then is not with the family as God created it, but with the particular families as they stray from God’s plan. Family dysfunction is undoubtedly a consequence of Original Sin; but it is not something God dreamed up to torment us.” - Scott Hahn

It sometimes helps to see things from another perspective. 
 Lord, thank you for this sink of dirty dishes, We have plenty of food to eat.
 
 Thank you for this pile of dirty, stinky laundry, We have plenty of nice clothes to wear.
 
 And I would like to thank you, Lord, for those unmade beds. They were so warm and so comfortable last night. I know that many have no bed.
 
 My thanks to you, Lord, for this bathroom, complete with all the splattered mirrors, soggy, grimy towels and dirty lavatory. They are so convenient.
 
 Thank you for this finger-smudged refrigerator that needs defrosting so badly, it has served us faithfully for many years. It is full of cold drinks and enough left-overs for two or three meals.
 
 Thank you, Lord, for this oven that absolutely must be cleaned today. It has baked so many things over the years.
 
 The whole family is grateful for that tall grass that needs mowing, the lawn that needs raking; we all enjoy the garden.
 
 Thank you, Lord, even for that slamming screen door. My kids are healthy and able to run and play.
 Lord, the presence of all these chores awaiting me says you have richly blessed my family. I shall do them all cheerfully and I shall do them gratefully.
 
 AMEN

1. Thou shall be sure that your child knows that –win or lose—you love him/her, appreciate his/her efforts and that you are not disappointed in them. 
 2. Thou shall be completely honest about your child’s athletic capability, his or her competitive attitude, his or her sportsmanship, and his or her actual skill level.
 
 3. Thou shall make sure that one does not miss Sunday Mass because of a sporting event. Let your child know that Church is more important.
 
 4. Thou shall teach your child to enjoy competition for competition sake, remember that there are lessons to be learned in winning as well as in losing.
 
 5. Thou shall not try to re-live your athletic life through your child nor try to create an athletic career to replace the one that you never had.
 
 6. Thou shall not compare the skill, courage, or attitudes of your child with those of other members of the team in a way that will discourage him/her or another child.
 
 7. Thou shall not compete with the coach, or show bad sportsmanship toward the officials.
 
 8. Thou shall get to know the coach so that you can be sure that his/her philosophy,
 attitudes, ethics, and knowledge are the things that you want to expose your child to.
 
 9. Always remember that children tend to exaggerate, both when praised and when criticized therefore temper your reactions when they bring home tales of woes or tales of heroics.
 
 10. Thou shall remind yourself and your child that it is only a game and that the most important thing in life is that we are infinitely loved by God and that we should show Him our gratitude by using our gifts and talents well.

“If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn . . . If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight . . .
 If a child lives with fear, he learns to be apprehensive . . .
 If a child lives with pity, he learns to feel sorry for himself . . .
 If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy . . .
 If a child lives with jealousy, he learns to feel envy . . .
 If a child lives with shame, he learns to feel guilty ...
 
 BUT
 
 If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient . . .
 If a child lives with encouragement, he learns to be confident . . .
 If a child lives with praise, he learns to be appreciative . . .
 If a child lives with acceptance, he learns to love . .
 If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves..
 If a child lives with honesty, he learns what truth is . . .
 If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice . . .
 If children live with recognition, they learn to have a goal.
 If children live with sharing, they learn to be generous.
 If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith in himself and those about him . . .
 If a child lives with friendliness, he learns the world is a nice place in which to live . . .”

975 Families are the future of the Church. We should mobilize all the strength of our Catholic families to heed the call of the Church and proclaim the Good News to the world, a world in which more and more people are failing to practice their religion. - Cardinal Francis Xavier Ngyuen Van Thuan.