Family – Page 14 – Perpetual Adoration

August 24, 2013

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You Call This A Dynasty?

I finally did it. I sat down at my computer and watched an episode of Duck Dynasty. I couldn’t take it anymore. I gave in to my curiosity. For the past year there have been several occasions when I’ve read or heard about the show. I knew I was going to eventually see what it was all about, but when I saw two recent headlines, I couldn’t put it off any longer.

August 17, 2013

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New Rules for Digital Dating

As I mentioned last week, during the time I was growing up in the 1960s and ’70s, we had limited access to telephones. Most of the communication that occurred between couples who were dating was in person. Parents were able to exercise a reasonable level of control over the amount of time their teenagers spent on dates by limiting the use of the family vehicle and by imposing curfews.

August 10, 2013

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The New Rules of Dating

August 3, 2013

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Why Do Some Girls Date Deadbeats?

There is a frequent occurrence at my home that involves my three youngest daughters, Mary (21), Christine (19), and Teresa (17). They regularly engage in long discussions about the boys they come into contact with. Of course, the first piece of information they always share with each other is whether a new guy is “gorge,” which is short for “gorgeous.”

June 15, 2013

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The Seven Pillars of Fatherhood

Earlier this month, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), which is a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, announced an $800,000 grant that is designed “to disseminate information about good fatherhood parenting practices by building research and practice knowledge and capacity” and to “increase positive father involvement in the lives of their children.” (Reread what I just quoted and see if it makes any sense to you.)

June 1, 2013

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The Destruction of the Boy Scouts of America

On May 23, 2013, the 1,400-member National Council of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) voted in favor of a resolution to add the following language to the requirements for being a Boy Scout: “No youth may be denied membership in the Boy Scouts of America on the basis of sexual orientation or preference alone.” The resolution passed by a wide margin, with 61.5 percent voting in favor of the change and 38.5 percent voting in opposition. The new requirement will be binding on all councils and units when it goes into effect January 1, 2014.

May 25, 2013

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Mother’s Day Behind Bars

During the first week of May of each year, most Americans anticipate and plan for the one day that is set aside to honor the women who gave them life and cared for them while they were growing up — their mothers. The dictionary defines a “mother” as “a female parent” or “a woman in authority.” Unfortunately, that definition doesn’t really properly reflect the true nature of a mother.

May 11, 2013

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A Mother Makes An Obscene Gesture Toward Me

Last month, I stopped at Schnucks in Peoria to purchase a couple of items. After I left the store, I drove alongside the curb in front of the store toward Glen Avenue. The weather was warm and there were a lot of people walking near the area where I was driving. After stopping at one of the small stop signs between Schnucks and Bed Bath & Beyond, I proceeded forward.

April 27, 2013

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My Life as a Prisoner

On the Saturday before Easter in 1969, I picked up the telephone and dialed the number for my Uncle Tony Couri’s house. At that time, I was 11 years old. I wanted to ask my cousin Gene Couri, who was the same age as I was, if his family was planning to go to our grandparents’ house for Easter. Gene and I shared the same grandparents, Tom and Effie Williams, and they had invited their children and grandchildren to join them for dinner on Easter Sunday.