What I Learned From Deleting Social Media (For a Bit!)
On a random Tuesday and without really any thought, I deleted all of the social media apps on my phone. I set it down with this sort of odd exhale. About five minutes later, I picked it back up only to realize all my usual “distractions” were no longer available. […]
Prom-verbs
Springtime brings a rush of promposals among juniors and seniors in high school, and the excitement mounts as the day of the dance approaches. While not every student chooses to attend prom, its enduring popularity makes it a beloved pop culture staple for teenagers, including Catholics. So, we turned to […]
Helping Teens Navigate Stress: Practical Tips for the Road Ahead
It was a Thursday night, and I remember sitting on my bathroom floor weeping, thinking to myself, “I wonder how long it will take them to notice?” I was 16, newly licensed, playing high school basketball and club volleyball, attending agility training twice a week, trying to maintain my grades […]
Why Cheating Sucks: The Merits of Academic Honesty
It was tempting because nobody would find out. I also needed the money. And it was one paper. I remember the moment clearly, standing at my locker and contemplating the offer. $20 for a paper. My friend, desperate for a decent grade, asked me to write his English paper in […]
Serial Killers on TV? : Why Curiosity isn’t always Healthy
The Thrill of the Fall As the leaves begin to change and the weather cools down, we embrace pumpkin spice season once again (!!) and the liturgical calendar carries us to the Solemnity of All Saints and the Memorial of All Souls. It is time to prepare for shorter days […]
Social Media Privacy Settings
A legitimate concern for parents over social media use is the accessibility that companies and strangers might have to their teens. This is a valid concern, and we’d love to address a few privacy features available on each of the most popular social media platforms among teens.
Three Lessons from St. Gianna Molla
The extreme sacrifice she sealed with her life testifies that only those who have the courage to give of themselves totally to God and others are able to fulfill themselves.” Gianna’s situation is perhaps pretty unusual; even so, she has important lessons to teach us. So here are three things to learn from St. Gianna Molla.
A Great Challenge: Reaching Young Men
I thought about what a youth night or small group looks like in many parishes. I recalled conversations with youth ministers about how hard it was to recruit male core members and encourage male teenagers to participate in youth ministry. Most of our youth groups don’t look like that picture of the 90s grunge scene in Seattle, but they could. We just need to adjust our thinking about how we reach young men.
Parenting the Digital World
“Do you think we spend too much time on our phones?” we asked them. They agreed immediately. “We think so too. We’re adults, with fully developed brains, pretty well-formed consciences, and years of practice controlling our impulses…but we still struggle not to let these devices consume our lives. It doesn’t seem fair to ask you to try to regulate your technology use when we can’t even do it well ourselves.”
