Monica Hinderer joins Doug discussing the impact of chatbots on children. They share the importance of children using their imagination but point to the danger of chatbots due to the difficulty in differentiating between an online program and a real person.

Monica speaks to the underlying problem of loneliness in our culture and the anecdote of giving our children real life experiences of feeling loved and wanted. Chatbots are a tool and not a substitute for human connection.

Listener questions and comments:

• John - I have three kids and the youngest is 19. I didn't allow them to have phones until high school.  It's still problematic and hard to control what they see.  I'm in tech, and they still found their way.
• Chris - My wife and I argue a lot in front of the kids. How do you deal with kids who see mom and dad arguing?
• Blaine - Positive uses of AI chatbots: I use this at work to prepare technical reports for everything from helping me simplify a paragraph or pointing it to a website.
• Teresa - We know that AI is artificial, godless and in competition with God. Maybe the Amish have it right.

Doug unpacks what spiritual healing looks like when childhood trauma warps your view of God. He shares an article from Jaimie Eckert who gives tips for healing including: recognizing that God is not your past, healing past wounds through biblical meditation, forging healing connections in the Body of Christ, and seeing God as He is.

Listener questions and comments:

• Dominic - I'm getting married this year. My fiancé and I have both experienced childhood trauma and we are having issues communicating about it. I lived in an abusive household, and she was raised by a single mother.

Resources:

When Trauma Warps Your View of God—And How to Heal

https://catholicexchange.com/when-trauma-warps-your-view-of-god-and-how-to-heal/

Do you feel comfortable talking to your spouse about sex? Renzo and Monica Ortega join Doug to discuss their book, Lovemaking: How to talk about sex with your spouse.

Listener questions and comments:

• Ed - I got married young. My wife said 'Spank Me', and I didn't want to do that. I found out she was molested when she was younger. 
• Mary - What do you do when your spouse is an alcoholic?

Resources:

Lovemaking: How to Talk about Sex with Your Spouse

https://www.avemariapress.com/products/lovemaking?srsltid=AfmBOorgGZjHHt16HpYGAM1pi6HPTbI-gqDA7VO5vRzVBo7ZN-663ONd

Doug unpacks 12 ways to keep your spouse deeply in love with you. From making your spouse feel like the most important person in the room, to surprising each other in the ways that matter, these tips will help to keep your love from growing stale.

12 ways to keep your spouse deeply in love with you

1. Make your spouse feel like they are the most important person in the room.
2. Don’t let life get in the way of laughing.
3. Argue in the right way. It’s not about winning but growing together.
4. Surprise each other in ways that matter.
5. Give space to grow as individuals.
6. Keep the romance alive even when life gets busy.
7. Say thank you for the small things.
8. Turn off the world and pay attention to each other.
9. Cheer each other on through life’s most difficult challenges.
10. Share goals that give the relationship purpose.
11. Communicate honestly, even when it’s uncomfortable.
12. Never stop choosing each other every day.

Are you frustrated with the dating scene and afraid you will never meet the right person to marry? Today, Doug shares dating tips from Venerable Fulton Sheen and gives other words of wisdom for the dating crowd. Plus: The Friday Rant!

Listener questions and comments:

• Robin - My husband died 13 years ago and I am now discerning consecrated widowhood.
• Eric - I haven't dated for more than 10 years. I was encouraged by a priest to get on a Catholic singles website. I started talking to a girl but then she said that her profile is not really hers. I haven't dated since then.
• Emma - Sometimes dating Apps can work.

 

Resources:

Christian Courtship in an Oversexed World: A Guide for Catholics

https://www.amazon.com/Christian-Courtship-Oversexed-World-Catholics/dp/1931709564

Happy Marriage for Life

https://www.happymarriageforlife.com/

Jodee Blanco joins Doug Hinderer and his daughter Monica to discuss the trauma bullying victims endure. Jodee shares her own story of the pain of being bullied and discusses the challenges that parents, children, and schools face when it comes to the problem of bullying.

Listener questions and comments:

• Elaine - My daughter was bullied at school after we moved. Nobody talked to her at school so the next day, I called the school but they said kids are going to be kids. They made seating arrangements though during lunch, and she was able to make lifelong friends.
• Mary - My 4-year-old grandson was digitally raped, and now at 8 years old I see him bullying and stealing. What can we do to help him?
• Mark - I was bullied at school, and people with disabilities are bullied. I have a form of autism.
• LeeAnn - Have they ever seen, 'How to save a life' which is about the most popular kid in school, and shows the negatives of bullying? The boy goes through a crisis and a conversion and starts reaching out to the kids in the margins.
• Jim - When I was in boarding school and in that situation, the kids and also the faculty were being bullies as well. What do you think?

Resources:

Jodee’s website

https://www.jodeeblanco.com

Has your spouse ever come home in a bad mood? Today, Doug shares a letter from Alice Von Hildebrand in her book By Love Refined. In this letter, Alice gives advice to a young bride whose husband came home in a bad mood. She shares how to discern the theme of every situation and to focus on understanding why her husband is upset. Doug talks about the importance of sanctifying every moment and he recommends a stress reducing conversation which will help each spouse communicate the ups and downs of their day.

Doug discusses the one thing that happy married couples do and what couples who are divorced don’t do.

Listener questions and comments:

• Janice - I'm a pharmacist and it's a very stressful job. I have a 5-year-old and struggle with coming home with all the stress.
• Vinnie - Am I supposed to be celibate for my whole life unless I find someone to marry?

Resources:

By Love Refined

https://sophiainstitute.com/product/by-love-refined/?srsltid=AfmBOop_hj7tBJocu1kIRUvOGr04GiKI9hdx4dHbRfKhN2BSjsJzvBxF

 

Christian Courtship in an Oversexed World: A Guide for Catholics

https://www.amazon.com/Christian-Courtship-Oversexed-World-Catholics/dp/1931709564

 

Rekindled Hearts

https://relevantradio.store/products/rekindled-hearts-book

Doug shares how The Blessed Virgin Mary’s ‘YES’ can be applied to living out a holy marriage. In a new series on the virtues, Doug unpacks how your marriage can help you develop the virtue of fortitude. He defines the meaning of virtue and speaks to power of fortitude in marriage and how it helps to overcome fear and work hard daily for your marriage.

Listener questions and comments:

• Sally - Can you share a statistic of how many couples who lived together before marriage and get divorced?
• Maria - Is it good for a married couple and the children, for each spouse to take their own trip by themselves, to take a break?

Resources:

Marriage Unhindered

https://www.marriageunhindered.com/

Rekindled Hearts

https://relevantradio.store/products/rekindled-hearts-book

Have you or your spouse ever had an emotional affair? Did you experience healing from the affair? Doug shares statistics that 45% of men and 35% of women have cheated on an emotional level. He shares what constitutes and leads to an emotional affair, and how to experience healing.

Listener questions and comments:

• Brian - I have been caught in an emotional relationship by my wife and would like to share my experience so no one else goes through this. My wife saw me texting the woman asked me to leave.

Resources:

Marriage Unhindered

https://www.marriageunhindered.com/

Happy Marriage for Life

https://www.happymarriageforlife.com/

Catholic Therapists

https://www.catholictherapists.com/

Do you and your spouse have a good prayer life? How do you begin to pray more with your spouse? Doug unpacks the importance of daily prayer in every marriage. He shares how prayer is a dialogue between human beings and God, it is essential in fostering a relationship with God, and in marriage prayer is a unification of the souls.

Listener questions and comments:

• Grace - My family started praying together when we almost divorced. Our kids started praying with us as teens and are now very strong in their faith.
• Monica - We've been praying for my adult son to meet a Catholic wife, and now he's dating a Catholic girl.
• Virginia - We've been praying the rosary and chaplet for my cancer and I have been cancer free for two years.
• Kate - At what point should you just say the marriage is not going to work after offering it up?

Resources:

Leila Miller

https://www.leilamiller.net/