April, 2010

Colleen wrote to me that this would be the last article for the year, so I suppose there is a lot that I could write or say.  However, I want to say that I still have the same goals for our school children and their families that their faith becomes, if it isn’t already, the most important part of their lives.  We celebrate and invest in Catholic Schools because we want the faith involved with student-life throughout the whole day.  Mass, prayer, and the celebration of the sacraments is the focus of our lives as Catholics, and I can happily say that is it an important part of everyday student life in our Catholic schools.  So at the end of another year, I feel that we are still growing in our mission to provide a Christ-centered education and focus that reminds us that we must be on guard with the world around us continuously. 

            Six of us went to the National Catholic Education Association Convention the week after Easter in Minneapolis.  I went to several conferences on fundraising and development work because the continued work that needs to be done to fund our Catholic schools is crucial and continues to be at the forefront of “problems” in keeping Catholic schools available.  I also went to a couple of conferences on bullying and another on the culture of entitlement that we live within.  Both were excellent conferences and dealt with important issues we face.  I want to share with you a portion of Dr. David Walsh’s conference entitled “NO.”  Dr. Walsh is the author of the book NO Why Kids—of All Ages—Need to Hear It and Ways Parents Can Say It.  Dr. Walsh explains that we live in a culture in which parents are forced to say “yes” more than “no” because we live in a culture of “yes.”  Our culture demands “more, fast, easy, and fun.”  Advertisers have created a culture in which we are never happy with what we have.  We have grown into a culture in which we want more of something; we want it faster, easier, and we have to have fun getting it and using it!  Whatever “it” is! 

            Part of the “yes” epidemic in our culture is that parents are not able to say “no” and stick to it according to Dr. Walsh.  He believes that parenting in this generation makes it very hard, if not impossible, to refuse our children anything.  Every parent wants things to be better for their children. They naturally want their children to have things better than they had things.  Happily, we live in a time that allows for many of our wants to be within our reach, but it has also created a world in which we think NEED everything within our reach—more, fast, easy, fun!   So I can see the vicious cycle as we’re caught in it.  However, Dr. Walsh says that we need to say “no” more to our children because it teaches self discipline.  As we listened to Dr. Walsh’s lecture, we could see how the lack of “no” in one’s life leads to a grand sense of entitlement later in life.  If children do not learn the meaning of “no” initially, then there is nothing that will mean that we can’t have what we want when we want it because we want it.  Of course, those of us who live in reality realize this, but some young people never learn limitations because they have never known the meaning of “no!”  Dr. Walsh recounted many examples of his own experience where he has experienced with his own children the need to say no, and recounted many instances that he was witnessed in the world where parents lost the battle of “no” and gave in to incessant whining, complaining, and demanding children to pacify their wants.  I’m reading his book now, and I’m finding it fascinating and educational to read.  It makes sense in this world to help parents all we can to help teach responsible self-discipline, and maybe we can help each other with the simple two-letter word: “no!”  

            I hope you all have a good summer and safe end of the school year.  We thank you for the trust and confidence you have place in us to help you educate your children.  May God continue to bless our work and community.