Empowering teens versus abdicating parental guidance….

January 27, 2014

My wife and I already raised one daughter through adolescence, high school, college and graduate school. Every now and then I beat myself up over what I could have done different.  But one thing is for sure, we did the best we knew how to do and that included a lot of prayers and discernment on what was the best for her. I will never criticize a parental decision concerning their children – except when that decision is given over to the teen to make.

I am convinced teenagers desire structure, guidelines and parameters.  We have been entrusted by God to raise these precious creatures.  Sometimes, in fact many times, that means making tough and unpopular decisions on their behalf.  Choosing a high school is one of those life changing decisions.  I was flabbergasted by otherwise caring and intelligent parents and how they turned such an important decision over to the hands of a 13-14 year old.  Since when do they know at such an inexperienced age what is best for them?

I heard time and time again:  Well she wants to go to this high school so I guess it’s OK with me…… The other day I overheard a parent telling their teen:  It’s OK if you want to leave your current high school to go to another… The imortant thing is that you are happy….. Teenagers are not equipped to make life altering decisions.  Especially when there is a parent or two, with much more life experience available, to guide and give advice.

Imagine allowing a teen to leave a high school because it may be perceived to be  too difficult?  What happens when the next one is “difficult” as well?  Move them again??!!  One of the few exceptions I can think of is when the teen has an exceptional talent.  There are high schools tailored to specific talents.  I can see a parent collaborating with a teen on attending a high school because of a passion and/or talent the teen may have.

We have to be careful with the slippery slope of giving teens too much latitude on decisions regarding life.  We are on this Earth as parents for a reason, if not, then why are we parents?  Just leave the teens alone to go about life?  They will have ample opportunities to make mistakes and correct the same, when they become young adults.  In the meantime they rely on us to guide, correct, discipline, act as cheerleader, support and pray; to guide them along until adulthood.

May God give us the patience, wisdom, discipline and Grace to realize we have been given a great responsibility and blessing that cannot be abdicated.  It is ours to lose, in more ways than one.

Our Lady and St.  Joseph, parents of our Lord, pray for us!

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Posted by Deacon Jorge

Governor Huckabee and a women’s libido…..

January 26, 2014

Former Arkansas governor and presidential candidate Mike Huckabee on Thursday said, “Women I know are smart, educated, intelligent, capable of doing anything that anyone else can do. Our party stands for the recognition of the equality of women and the capacity of women. That’s not a war on them. It’s a war for them.”

He added, “And if the Democrats want to insult the women of America by making them believe that they are helpless without Uncle Sugar coming in and providing for them a prescription each month for birth control because they cannot control their libido or their reproductive system without the help of government, then so be it.”

Then the Twitter firestorm began, lead by erroneous comments from the liberal press…..NBC’s Kasie Hunt and CNN’s Dana Bash immediately tweeted: It was Huckabee’s opinion that women couldn’t control their libidos!  By the time Hunt and Bash (what great liberal journalist names!) apologized, it was all over the mainstream press… . Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood called his remarks “chilling”.   And she never heard those remarks directly from Huckabee!

Jaqueline Alemany from CBS News stated:  Many Republican leaders are concerned about Huckabee’s remarks”…. Since when can one trust what anyone from CBS says?  Oh yea, not since Dan Rather fabricated a story on former President Bush (43).

Sharon Day, a Republican National Committee co-chair,  emphasizing the importance of winning back women for the Republican Party saying, “Women are not a coalition, we are not a group to be outreached to — we are 53 percent of the vote.  And winning back they are.  That is why the Democratic Party liberal press (before Fox that used to be a redundant statement) are so concerned with likable Republican leaders such as Mike Huckabee.  He scares the beejesus out of them with his folksy style and religious views.

Huckabee defended his remarks Friday night telling Fox News, “In fact everything I was accused of saying, I was actually saying the polar opposite. This was an affirmation of the intelligence, of the capability of women.”  Sorry Governor, as long as the Liberal press runs scarred, the disinformation and campaign to destroy will continue…. Bring on the mid-term elections…. the liberals are running scared!

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Posted by Deacon Jorge

To blog…or not?

January 22, 2014

Two Catholic men who I admire because they not only talk the talk – but walk the walk, are avid bloggers.  I started blogging last year with much enthusiasm, then little by little came to a stop.  I read their blogs with great enthusiasm and realize it is number one, a cathartic experience for the blogger and number 2, a great way to let others know they are not alone!  Thanks to these two men and hopefully for the greater good, I will restart the blogging engines….The Catholicmanblog is back!

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Posted by Deacon Jorge

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