Messy Family Podcast : Catholic Conversations on Marriage and Family

Love should be seen as something which in a sense never 'is' but is always only 'becoming'" ~ St. John Paul II

All marriages go through a cycle. That cycle includes times of romance, when everything is going well, your love is full, and you are working as a team. It also includes times when things aren't so great - we call this "disillusionment". Disillusionment is when you don't have the feelings of being in love; you may not even like your spouse very much! This is when we feel dry and even alone in our marriage and we need to choose to love. It is like times of dryness in our spiritual life. We still show up to mass, say our prayers, and go through the motions, but we don't feel close to God. Our marriages can be like this as well! We need to learn that we still need to show up to work with our spouse, choose to smile and be kind, and speak with affection, even if the feelings aren't there. In this podcast, we describe this part of the cycle of marriage and give some encouragement on how to deal with it and move through it because when you do, it leads to true joy, a love that is deep and real because it has been tested and tried.

"The family is where children discover how to be human. It's where they learn how to respect and love other people.. where they discover their place in a family story larger than themselves." -Archbishop Charles Chaput

We meet parents all the time who tell us, "My kids don't get along!" and our response is, "Of course they don't get along. That is kind of what your job is as parents. To teach them how to live in peace with other people and they practice this with their siblings." Family is the training ground for life. This is where children learn how to be human - to fight, to forgive, to share, to live in community. Parents must be the stewards of the culture of the family and part of that culture is the relationship between brothers and sisters. The greatest gift a parent can give their child is a brother or sister - but that is just a starting point. We parents also need to intentionally work to teach those brothers and sisters to love each other. Because strong sibling relationships are one of life's greatest joys. Listen in as we discuss this essential topic for parents.

Check out our blog post on this topic: Encouraging Good Sibling Relationships

Family communion can only be preserved and perfected through a great spirit of sacrifice. - St. John Paul II

Let's be honest. Parenting is hard. Some studies have shown that up to 18% of American parents regret having children. Though that statistic may not be completely true, it does show a growing number of people who don't just struggle with being a parent, but actually resent it. We need to talk about this! It is good to acknowledge those feelings, but parents need to then move through those feelings, be curious about them, and make sure they don't get stuck there. In this podcast, we talk about why people may feel this way and what to do about it. Our mission is to empower parents to embrace their sacred calling and we can't do that without meeting parents where they are at. For those parents who struggle with this job - we hear you and you are welcome here. Listen in and join the conversation.

Check out our blog post on this topic: Help! I Hate Parenting My Kids (Sometimes)

Food is love, but it's only love if it's shared. ~ Fr. Leo Patalinghug

Family dinner is something so simple yet so important and foundational in your family culture. We need to constantly be reminded and encouraged to take time to focus on those relationships in our family daily, or at least weekly. In this fun, engaging conversation with Fr. Leo, we discuss family dinners, but also inviting others into our homes, and how to have true leisure. Fr. Leo makes the point that dinners together are not just important, they are actually essential! In this podcast we also talk about our upcoming cruise with Fr. Leo to Portugal and Fatima next spring. It is a river cruise through wine country but also to several shrines and holy places, particularly the blessed shrine of Our Lady of Fatima. We are blessed to have such a great friend in Fr. Leo and we hope that you will join us for this conversation, but also on our trip next year!

Fr. Leo's organization - https://platinggrace.com/

Women Wonderfully Made FREE Webinar

Dads Vs. Wild FREE Webinar

Join us a the Cruise and Pilgrimage to Fatima - https://www.messyfamilyproject.org/fatima-cruise/

Check out our blog post on this topic: Do Family Dinners Matter?

None of us live in a vacuum. We didn’t just appear upon the earth in isolation! We are all part of a family - not just our nuclear family, but a wider group made up of aunts, uncles, grandparents, and great grandparents, stretching back generations. How often do we consider the role of our grandparents in our lives? Or the role that we will play in the lives of our grandchildren someday? In this podcast, we discuss the importance of these relationships, some guidelines for both generations to learn how to relate to each other, and how parents can embrace their role as grandparents. We have found that you never stop learning and growing in your relationship with your spouse or your children. This podcast will benefit everyone who has grandparents, who is a grandparent, and those who are navigating relationships between their children and their parents. This podcast is in response to the call of Pope Francis to celebrate the role of grandparents on the Sunday closest to the feast of St. Anne and Joachim, grandparents of Jesus, this year on July 24.

Blessed is the house where an older person lives! Blessed is the family that honours the elderly! - Pope Francis, from his message for the Second World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly

None of us live in a vacuum. We didn't just appear upon the earth in isolation! We are all part of a family - not just our nuclear family, but a wider group made up of aunts, uncles, grandparents, and great grandparents, stretching back generations. How often do we consider the role of our grandparents in our lives? Or the role that we will play in the lives of our grandchildren someday? In this podcast, we discuss the importance of these relationships, some guidelines for both generations to learn how to relate to each other, and how parents can embrace their role as grandparents. We have found that you never stop learning and growing in your relationship with your spouse or your children. This podcast will benefit everyone who has grandparents, who is a grandparent, and those who are navigating relationships between their children and their parents. This podcast is in response to the call of Pope Francis to celebrate the role of grandparents on the Sunday closest to the feast of St. Anne and Joachim, grandparents of Jesus, this year on July 24.

The vocation of marriage and the vocation of consecrated life beautifully work together and we think this interview demonstrates that fact! In this podcast we have a conversation with Sr. John Paul, from the order Mary Mother of the Eucharist, a Dominican congregation in Ann Arbor MI. She is a fellow Franciscan University alum and principal of St. Michael School in Columbus OH. Like parents, she is in charge of the formation of virtue in young children, but she sees this formation from a different perspective. During our conversation, she explains how to discuss the virtues in daily life and gives us some language to use. Sister also demonstrates how to spot virtues in children and call them out and shows why this is so important. Join in this recording of our member date night with a very special sister.

Dominican Virtue Tree: https://openlightmedia.com/online-learning/interactive-virtue-tree/

Family Board Meeting course: https://messyfamilyhood.com/family-board-meeting-registration/ 

Moms and Dad Webinars & Courses: https://messyfamilyhood.com/

The vocation of marriage and the vocation of consecrated life beautifully work together and we think this interview demonstrates that fact! In this podcast we have a conversation with Sr. John Paul, from the order Mary Mother of the Eucharist, a Dominican congregation in Ann Arbor MI. She is a fellow Franciscan University alum and principal of St. Michael School in Columbus OH. Like parents, she is in charge of the formation of virtue in young children, but she sees this formation from a different perspective. During our conversation, she explains how to discuss the virtues in daily life and gives us some language to use. Sister also demonstrates how to spot virtues in children and call them out and shows why this is so important. Join in this recording of our member date night with a very special sister.

Dominican Virtue Tree: https://openlightmedia.com/online-learning/interactive-virtue-tree/

Family Board Meeting course: https://messyfamilyhood.com/family-board-meeting-registration/

Moms and Dad Webinars & Courses: https://messyfamilyhood.com/

We love it when our listeners dictate what we talk about! In this episode we tackle some great email questions and voice memos that parents have sent us. A mom asks if its ok that her 2 yr old is wearing his sister’s dress up clothes and another mom is overwhelmed at another child on the way. Does this make her not “open to life” or a bad Catholic? We also had a wife share with us her heartache at her husband’s lack of faith in the home. How can she honor the Lord and honor her husband at the same time when he is not interested in living the faith? Listen in as we talk about these questions and the issue of keeping life in balance. How do we make time for it all? Our answers are empathetic, but also practical and we believe they can help many parents out there. Join the conversation!

We love it when our listeners dictate what we talk about! In this episode we tackle some great email questions and voice memos that parents have sent us. A mom asks if its ok that her 2 yr old is wearing his sister's dress up clothes and another mom is overwhelmed at another child on the way. Does this make her not "open to life" or a bad Catholic? We also had a wife share with us her heartache at her husband's lack of faith in the home. How can she honor the Lord and honor her husband at the same time when he is not interested in living the faith? Listen in as we talk about these questions and the issue of keeping life in balance. How do we make time for it all? Our answers are empathetic, but also practical and we believe they can help many parents out there. Join the conversation!

Don't miss the virtual Family Board Meeting in August - https://messyfamilyhood.com/family-board-meeting-registration/

Fly down to the Catholic Couples Getaway on Cozumel island - https://www.messyfamilyproject.org/cozumel-2023/

Join us for a Fatima Pilgrimage and Portugal Cruise - https://www.messyfamilyproject.org/fatima-cruise/