In his recent comments to the Pontifical Council for the Family, Pope Francis shared some advice he gives to young parents…
“When I hear the confession of a young married man or woman, and they refer to their son or daughter, I ask, ‘How many children do you have?’ and they tell me. Maybe they’re expecting another question after that, but I always ask, ‘And tell me, do you play with your children? Do you waste time with your children?'”
“The free gift of a parent’s time is so important,” he said.
What terrific advice. So many families–even faithful, godly families–have allowed themselves to be reduced to a collection of individuals living under the same roof. In a time when family life is choked out by so many other activities, we need to remember that most important activity we can ever be involved in is family life itself. We tend to think of family as something we have not something we do, but “family” is a verb and we need to give family life the time it deserves if it is to bear the fruit our Catholic faith tells us it can.
Pope Francis comments remind the whole Church that “wasting” time with our children is the most valuable way we can spend our time.
If you would like more ideas for creating a truly joy-filled family life, check out Parenting with Grace: The Catholic Parent Guide to Raising (almost) Perfect Kids