Messy Family Podcast : Catholic Conversations on Marriage and Family

Living life with infants and toddlers is no joke. And the more you have the crazier your life is! We all know life is more than survival, but there were plenty of times that all Alicia could think when she woke up was "I just have to make it till nap time". In this MFP classic episode which first aired in 2015, we talk about living life with kids under 5 without losing your mind. We give some practical tips for managing your children, ways to keep your marriage alive at this time, and how to act as a team in these crucial years. Even though the "Survival Zone" is in our distant memory, we now have grandchildren who remind us regularly how much energy kids take! Listen in for these essential tips in getting through these difficult times with grace and joy.

"Instead of trying to protect yourself through your fear, learn to live dangerously! – by doing and saying what you think, know, and believe to be right, by not caring that you may be mistaken at times"

~ Dr. Conrad Barrs, Born Only Once: the Miracle of Affirmation

Unfortunately, we live in a Pinterest-perfect, commercialized, consumerist culture that is looking for the top of the line in everything. What happens when that attitude bleeds into our parenting? How does it affect our kids when we start demanding perfection from them instead of delighting in who they are? In this podcast, we dive into the concept of "affirmation" and examine how essential it is that our children receive affirmation from us. When a person is affirmed, they are not afraid to take risks, to be vulnerable, or to fail. They know they are loved for who they are, not what they do. They are delighted in and they know it. Childhood should be a process of a person receiving these messages from their parent so they can become who they were born to be. Listen in as we discuss the effects of affirmation, practical ways to affirm children, and what affirmation is NOT. The reference for this podcast is the book Born Only Once, by Dr. Conrad Barrs.

"One earns Paradise with one's daily task." ~ Saint Gianna Beretta Molla

Chores, laundry, meal preparation, etc, etc…. It never ends! But even this part of family life is an area in which God wants to enter into our lives and teach us to be holy. Yes, there are very practical aspects of family life that we need to just get done, but HOW we do them will effect our growth as a Catholic family. Listen in to this podcast where we discuss how we do chores, laundry, and our family's schedule. Things change over the years and its important that we realize that being flexible is one of the keys to keeping family life peaceful. Finding new chore charts, routines, and assignments at home is one way that parents can keep themselves and their kids on their toes and learning how to serve each other. The home is the training ground for life!

Stefanick Date Night Sign Up: https://www.messyfamilyproject.org/date-night-with-chris-natalie-stefanick/

Over the years, we have met many couples, ordinary people, who have been able to come to a deeper understanding of God's love for them and the importance of their marriage because of the challenges that have come up in their lives. Many of these stories are inspiring, so we decided to share some of them with you. We interviewed three couples from our Messy Family Neighborhood who have faced challenges in their marriage that they have been able to learn from by God's grace. Billy and Lori are a young couple who needed to learn how to operate as a family and not as "married individuals". David and Erin are a military family who dealt with the dangers of military conflict as well as long deployments. Bill and Lisa have three children with various special needs who forced them to adjust their expectations of family life and prioritize each other even when their children's needs seemed overwhelming. We all need to hear stories of God's grace acting in the lives of other people to be inspired and encouraged. Listen in and enjoy.

The world says husbands and wives have the same or even interchangeable roles. Some fundamentalist Christians and even Catholics say wives should let their husbands decide everything (even in regards to sexual intimacy!) and wives should obey as long as it is not immoral. This way of thinking does not reflect the rich, intricate, dynamic teachings of the Church in regards to men and women. A true Catholic marriage calls men and women to act in complementarity so they both become who God is calling them to be. Listen in while we unpack this controversial but essential topic on the role of a wife in a marriage. (podcast on a husband's role in marriage coming soon!)