As Catholic parents, we are called to a special mission of shepherding our children’s moral education and spiritual formation.
“The role of parents in education is of such importance that it is almost impossible to provide an adequate substitute,” the Catechism tells us. Parents are called to educate their children in virtue and serve as the “first heralds” of the Gospel to them.
But what does great Catholic parenting look like in action? Most parents will tell you that parenting, while deeply joyful and rewarding, is also the hardest thing they’ve ever done.
How can we learn to be effective parents, firm yet loving, disciplined yet warm? A few excellent books about Catholic parenting can be great resources. These books will guide you on the path to understanding Catholic parenting.
1Parenting with Grace
If you just read one Catholic parenting book, make it Parenting with Grace: The Catholic Parents' Guide to Raising almost Perfect Kids.
The authors are the founders of Catholic Households On Mission (CatholicHOM), the first-ever digital platform dedicated to helping Catholic families encounter Christ more meaningfully at home and draw closer to each other by living the Liturgy of Domestic Church Life.
Family therapist and parent Gregory Popcak and his wife, Lisa, bring a wealth of wisdom and experience to this updated version of their popular book. They guide parents through each stage of child development, from infancy through adolescence, offering additional age-specific advice on “parenting with grace.”
Practical, faithful, and humorous, Parenting with Grace will help you discover practical, faith-filled solutions to common problems of every childhood stage -- sleep problems, tantrums, faith issues, childhood fears, dating, dealing with technology and media, and much more!
2Discipleship Parenting
Author Kim Cameron-Smith is the founder of the Intentional Catholic Parenting online ministry and the host of the Gentle Catholic Parenting Podcast, where she explores the intersection between Catholicism and the science of parenting. She is a licensed attorney with degrees from Oxford University and Harvard University, among others.
Discipleship Parenting: Planting the Seeds of Faith is a must read for parents who want to raise faithful kids using evidence-based parenting science:
As Catholic parents, we have one fundamental mission: to raise children who know and love God, and who are so in love with Christ that they can't help but share his message. We are called not only to be disciples ourselves, but to be discipleship parents, evangelizing our children so they become disciples, too.
That sounds great, but we know this is not always easy. The culture often stands in the way of our raising whole and holy children. Sometimes our own failures, wounds, and weaknesses make it difficult to pour ourselves fully into the mission. Even if we are working to plant the seeds of faith, how can we ensure that the soil is cultivated so the seeds can grow and flourish?
In Discipleship Parenting, Kim Cameron-Smith provides tools and insights to help parents foster seven ideal growing conditions in the home: love, balance, play, merciful discipline, empathy, radiant faith, and a strong marriage.
Raising children to know and love Christ, and to share that love with others, is the most important work we will ever do. Let's join together in Discipleship Parenting and respond to God's call and mission for all our families.
3Parenting
If you are seeking to understand the theological implications of parenting, including the deep spiritual significance of this vocation, you will greatly enjoy Providence College Professor Holly Taylor Coolman’s reflections in Parenting: The Complex and Beautiful Vocation of Raising Children. Here's what the publishers say about it:
Books on parenting abound, with many suggesting that specific strategies will produce desired results. Gifted theologian Holly Taylor Coolman offers something different: a theologically and biblically rich commentary on the theme of raising children.
As a mother of five who is known for approaching parenting in a theological way, Coolman is often asked for advice. In this book, she explores parenting as a complex and beautiful vocation in which mothers and fathers themselves are made and unmade, offered troubling sorts of gifts, and drawn deeper into connection not only with their children but also with God, others, and themselves. Coolman describes child-rearing as a vocation to which parents are called that requires them to develop the skills of apprenticeship and invitation. She also locates raising children firmly within the context of the Catholic tradition.
