Catholic Parents Online

While the act of direct abortion is to be judged as absolutely wrong and can never be justified in any way, Jesus never fails to remind us that we should neither judge nor condemn persons. How can we support those who are considering abortion, as well as those who have already had an abortion before? We discuss these questions and more, as we explore the pastoral aspects of abortion. Check out htt...

There has been much rhetoric and slogans when topics such as abortion are discussed. Many of us know what our stand is, or at least should be. However, we may not be quite sure how to articulate it. Here we share how we can speak about abortion with our children and form them in this area, in order that they may be more aware of the real issues involved and thereby be better able to form their jud...

As human persons, we are made in the image and likeness of God. The only appropriate response to each and every one of us is love. To be loved as God loves, and never to be used or abused. This is why sexual abuse of minors is one issue that all of us parents should be concerned with. Are there warning signs that we can look out for in our children that might indicate they have been sexually abuse...

Many of us have heard of the Theology of the Body, a beautiful series of catechesis on human love in the divine plan given to us by Pope St John Paul II. Yet, does it deal only with sexual love, or more than that? What does it really encompass? And why is it so beneficial to know this teaching as parents who want to let our children know who they are, whose they are, where their destiny lies, and...

Breaking free from any addiction is never easy. Let us listen to "Augustine" on  catholicparents.online  as he shares with us how he managed to overcome his addiction to pornography. #chastity #catholicparents #catholicparenting

Pornography is a multi-billion-dollar industry. And it has had a huge impact on individuals, families and societies. How does pornography affect us and our children? How do people get addicted to it? Can we overcome pornography addiction? If so, how? And how can we protect our children from its snares?  Join us as we interview Dr Christopher Cheok, Senior Consultant at the Institute of Mental Heal...

We and our children are bombarded by all sorts of influences, by the very fact of our participation in society. Some of these may be good, and some not so good, possibly even deleterious to our flourishing as human persons made in the image and likeness of God. How can we respond to these influences, especially the negative ones? How does our faith help us on this journey to true fulfilment accord...

Sex education is ubiquitous in many school systems today. One of the common questions that many parents wrestle with is this: should we let our children attend these in school? Or should we just rely on the catechism classes in church to do the job? Or should we simply be the ones to teach it at home? We discuss the various considerations Catholic parents can pray and discern over, in order to opt...

Many parents instinctively want our children to dress modestly, do we not? Why do we want to do so? What is wrong with our children showing off their “assets”? We discuss these questions, and how we can go about forming our children in the virtue of modesty.

Surveys suggest that more people seem to be having premarital sex and living together before marriage. Yet studies also suggest a positive correlation between these and subsequent divorce later. As Catholic parents, we know that sexual intercourse is reserved for the married. After all, sexual intercourse is essentially a bodily proclamation of our wedding vows, a time when our wedding vows that w...

How can we talk to our children about the morality of using condoms and other forms of contraception? This is not an easy topic, and many of us understandably struggle with it ourselves. Once we are able to appreciate the Language of the Body, which speaks about our vocation to love as God loves in and through our bodies, our eyes will be opened to the wonder of this language that God has given to...

How effective, really, is the condom in preventing sexually transmitted infections (or STIs)? With all the information, and perhaps misinformation, that our teens are bombarded with from all avenues, it will be useful for us parents to be ready with the right questions, and the right answers. In this episode, we discuss the medical data regarding the actual effectiveness of the condom in preventin...

Previously, we considered why masturbation is an objectively disordered act according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and how we can form our children in this area. In this episode, we discuss the 6 steps we can take as parents if we somehow suspect or find out that our children are already engaging in this activity, or other vices such as pornography. Learn more about Catholic Parents On...

Many of us instinctively know that masturbation is not right. At the same time, we find much difficulty explaining to our children why this is so. The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us in no uncertain terms that masturbation is an intrinsically and gravely disordered action , while acknowledging that certain conditions may “ lessen, if not even reduce to a minimum, moral culpability.” (CCC...

At this stage, as our kids become teens, lots of changes, both physical and emotional, will be taking place in their lives. They are developing a mind of their own, and talking about sexuality, and indeed any topic at all, will be quite different from the stages we have discussed before. It becomes less of a “talking down to”, but rather a “dialogue with”. How can we go about this? How can we help...

The journey now gets more exciting (read challenging). At 10 to 12 years of age, our children are on the cusp of puberty. And at this stage, a significant proportion of them will have been exposed to pornography, intentionally or otherwise. What can we as Catholic parents do to help them navigate the pre-pubertal years? How can we prepare them for the changes to be expected in puberty? What about...

In the previous two interviews with Mr Bryan Shen, we had discussed how important affirmation is for the flourishing of our children. We also examined how the “emotional baggage” that we parents carry with us from our own upbringing may negatively impact the psycho-social development of our children. In this episode, Mr Bryan Shen shares with us the pressures and influences our children may experi...

By the time our children reach the age of 6 to 9 years old, they will likely be curious, and asking, where babies come from. In addition, children in this age group may also be at risk of exposure to pornography and sexual grooming, even molestation and sexual abuse. How can we talk to our children in this age group about sexuality? How can we protect them from the possible harms that may be infli...

In our earlier episodes on talking to our children about sexuality, we shared about the important foundations needed before we could have fruitful conversations with our children about sexuality. Namely, having a good connection with them and forming them in the virtues and the faith. In this episode, we will discuss the principles and practical ways in which we can initiate this talk, or rather t...

In our previous episode we had shared what chastity is really about, and why it is the goal of sexuality education. To strengthen our children in the virtue of chastity, we need to cultivate the virtues, namely temperance, justice, fortitude and prudence. Because chastity flows from, and is strengthened by, these virtues. This episode discusses why this is so, and explores how we can form our chil...

The word “Chastity” has been very much misunderstood in our culture today. It is often seen as a repression of our innermost desires, with a list of prohibitions preventing us from satisfying the deepest yearning of our hearts for love and union. It has even been equated to celibacy, and therefore reserved only for priests, religious and singles. Yet, properly understood, it is anything but that....

We know how powerful sexual desire can be. Some have even compared it to a raging river, which if not controlled or managed, can cause immense destruction. Yet, what is sexual desire? Is it good, or bad? Why were we created with it in the first place? This episode seeks to explain the origin, beauty and power of sexual desire, and how, when properly directed, it can lead us to an even greater unde...

As parents, talking to our children about sexuality may be a daunting prospect for many of us, and even embarrassing for some. Yet we cannot shirk from this responsibility if we want to form our children well so that they can, as sexual beings, learn to love as God loves in and through their bodies. How can we prepare ourselves for this task? What do we need to equip ourselves with for this “talk”...

Parents naturally want the best for our children. Yet time and again we may find ourselves saying or doing something that might hurt our children. On the other hand, we might even be unaware of the hurt we might have caused our children through things that we did or things that we failed to do. Much of this is likely due to the emotional "baggages" we may carry from our childhood from the...

Talking to our children about sexuality is not easy, especially in today’s digital world. But it can and should be done. In this episode we revisit some of the foundations needed for this conversation with our children, so that we can talk with them in a way that will form and prepare them for the challenges ahead, as well as help us bond more closely with them in the process. It also gives us an...