Family Virtues

Book excerpt: Helping young people to form their character is an exciting endeavor that God has entrusted first of all to parents. It requires delicacy and strength, patience and joy, and is not lacking in challenges. It means helping children develop a concern for others, teaching them to form relationships that are truly human, and overcoming the fear of commitment. Educating children involves preparing them for the future—a future that will always involve difficulties, but also joys. In the end, it means preparing each child to respond fully to God’s plan for his or her life. The twenty-one essays contained in this book will help parents in this great task. Whether dealing with adolescent development issues, discipline, modesty, passing on the faith, or other parenting matters, this book covers it all with supernatural outlook and common sense. Written in an open-ended style that empowers parents to find their own solutions, it can be read straight through from beginning to end, or by skipping to specific chapters, according to one’s interests and needs. Both young parents and those with more experience will benefit from the insights found here.