If you've found us, you're interested in gentle or attachment parenting grounded in your Catholic faith. You've found a home! Our mission is to provide information and encouragement to parents like you who hope to guide their children in an atmosphere of joy and love.
NEW:
*May 9: CAPC Founder Kim Cameron-Smith will be on Greg & Lisa Popcak's radio show More2Life to talk about "Parenting and the New Evangelization." More2Life is on Ave Maria Radio (avemariaradio.net) from 12-1 EST.
*Coming early June: Tender Tidings Magazine SUMMER. This edition is about DADS!
1. Baby Bonding
2. Empathy
3. Playing Together
4. Radiant Faith
5. Gentle Discipline
6. Balance
7. A Strong Marriage
Click here for descriptions of each Building Block!
Spring 2013: The Self-Care Issue with an article from Dr. Popcak on the difference between shame and guilt!(Click on cover to view.)
Winter 2012: Ideas for a family-centered winter.
I have a crazy two-year-old. Henry is able to open almost anything labeled “childproof,” can climb to any height in our house, and seems to find great joy in harassing his baby sister until she squeals. Being a stay at home mom of five young children does not lend itself to a peaceful, orderly, and contemplative way of life. While I’ve learned to find peace
Happy Mothers Day to all of our Mama Readers from Catholic Attachment Parenting Corner
Today is the Feast of the Ascension. At the Ascension, Christ announced the Church’s mission to the Apostles: Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age. Matthew 28:
The topic of gay “marriage” is a sizzling in the media. Are we being selfish and narrow-minded to deny gay couples access to marriage? Do gay couples have a “right” to marry like other couples? Here’s an incredibly erudite, kick-ass argument for why homosexuals can’t claim a right to legal “marriage.” Catholic attorney Andrew Greenwell argues that because homosexual couples lack the obligations or duties of the historical office
I can’t wait to talk to my kids about sex. Yes, you read that correctly. I CAN’T WAIT! I can’t wait to teach my kids how to make this world a better place by holding a reverence for the sacred and by understanding that the Original Plan for sex was never Plan B. That God’s plan never included unchastity, infidelity, heartache, and despair. Sex is
Bedtime was rough last night. While I will spare you all of the grisly details, let’s just say my four-year-old daughter set a new record for length and intensity of her already impressive tantrum throwing abilities. As parents, sometimes it takes a child screaming at us combined with a feeling of complete helplessness to inspire us to reevaluate the direction in which our parenting skills
Wanted to share this article by Dr. Greg Popcak commenting on a study on the consequences of the cry-it-out sleep method. He writes: [A] new study published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships highlights the long term psychological and relational consequences of the cry-it-out method. In particular, the new study looks at the tendency of insecurely attached adults to feel threatened by otherwise
Love this repost of a great article on attachment parenting and working over at Attachment Parenting International. As I’ve said before, an attached lifestyle isn’t only for at-home moms. I think especially when Mommy is working away from baby for part of the day, attachment practices will benefit that sweet babe. The article gives general tips for practicing an attached lifestyle while working then focuses on pumping while
Editor’s Note: Welcome back Anne McDonald! In this new essay, Anne shares honestly and tenderly about what she has learned about forgiveness from her husband. It was one of those arguments that you wish had never happened. An argument where you’ve said such painful, hurtful words that when you look back on it, it makes you sick to your stomach. However, it was an experience
I was scheduled to be on “More2Life” with Dr. Greg & Lisa Popcak this morning, but Dr. Greg is sick and has lost his voice! Prayers for you, Dr. Greg. We all hope you recover quickly. I thought I would briefly explore the topic we were going to discuss on the show: “The Domestic Church Images the Last Supper.” Today is Holy Thursday, the first day of
I gaze at my newborn daughter’s delicate features and feel my heart ache as it struggles to retain this moment that will go by all too quickly. The joy of a new birth is soon mixed with the bittersweet awareness of the passage of time, and I am filled with the impulse to hold onto my daughter with possessive and jealous arms with no intention
The conviction this week of two high school football players in Steubenville, Ohio, for raping a 16 year-old girl will lead many parents to ask themselves serious questions. After a night of drinking, the two players and the girl ended up in the basement of somebody’s house. The girl woke up the next morning naked, unsure of what had happened. Photos were taken of her apparently passed out.
GREAT CATHOLICS OPPOSED TO SPANKING!
St. John Baptist de La Salle
St. Benildus
St. John Bosco
St. Elizabeth Seton
Fr. Flanagan
Dr. Herbert Ratner
Dr. Maria Montessori
WHY BABIES LOVE TO BE CARRIED: There is a very good reason mothers often carry their crying babies, pacing the floor, to help them calm down. New research published in the Cell Press journal Current Biology shows that infants experience an automatic calming reaction upon being carried, whether they are mouse or human babies. The study is the first to show that the infant calming response to carrying is a coordinated set of central, motor, and cardiac regulations and an evolutionarily conserved component of mother-infant interactions, the researchers say.
DON'T LET YOUR BABIES CRY
Notre Dame professor Darcia Narvaez shares how to deal with night waking babies in this Psychology Today article. She recommends "nuanced and targeted routines" for the baby, and care for caregivers.
CO-SLEEPING DADS HAVE LOWER TESTOSTERONE LEVELS, WHICH IS ASSOCIATED WITH HIGHER PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT. A University of Notre Dame study of co-sleeping fathers found that they have lower testosterone levels than fathers who sleep apart from their children. While high testosterone levels are useful for mating behaviors across species, it's also associated with lower parental involvement. The study found that in individual men their testosterone levels decreased as they transitioned into fatherhood, and when co-sleeping fathers were compared to fathers who slept apart from their children the co-sleepers had significantly lower testosterone levels.
Spanking linked to increased risk of mental health problems
A new study published in the professional journal Pediatrics found that a child who is spanked, slapped, grabbed or shoved as a form of punishment runs a higher risk of becoming an adult who suffers from a wide range of mental and personality disorders, even when that harsh physical punishment was occasional and when the child experienced no more extreme form of violence or abuse at the hands of a parent or caregiver.
PHYSICAL PUNISHMENT HARMFUL TO LONG-TERM DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN
An article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal analyzes research on physical punishment of children spanning 20 years and concludes that such children tend to be more aggressive toward parents, siblings, and other children and are more likely to exhibit antisocial behaviors.
IT TAKES A FAMILY
A National Catholic Register editorial suggests that world bishops will identify the family as the key place for re-evangelizing the world.
NEW ZEALAND STUDY LINKS EARLY DAYCARE TO POTENTIAL HEALTH ISSUES
A fascinating New Zealand study finds raised cortisol levels in children in daycare, indicating increased stress and suppressed immune systems.
