Although the weather forecast was for rain, the sun was shining on Saturday morning.  I [...] Read More »]]> http://www.adoration.com/2011/letting-the-genie-out-of-the-bottle/feed/ 0 http://www.adoration.com/2011/a-change-in-behavior-to-the-dark-side/ http://www.adoration.com/2011/a-change-in-behavior-to-the-dark-side/#comments Sun, 20 Feb 2011 02:36:08 +0000 Harry http://www.adoration.com/?p=457 I’ve only been to one high school reunion since graduating in May of 1975.  I never had the desire to attend one until I received a letter in 1995 inviting me to the 20 year reunion.  After I received the invitation, I tracked down my best friend from high school.  He was living in Chicago at the time, was married, and had two children.  Like me, he had not gone to any of the previous [...] Read More »]]> http://www.adoration.com/2011/a-change-in-behavior-to-the-dark-side/feed/ 0 http://www.adoration.com/2010/inside-the-head-of-a-teenager/ http://www.adoration.com/2010/inside-the-head-of-a-teenager/#comments Sun, 05 Dec 2010 02:03:07 +0000 Harry http://www.adoration.com/?p=398 Last week Parade magazine had a cover story by Judith Newman about how the teenage brain works.  The headline of the story was: “What’s Really Going On Inside Your Teen’s Head.”  The sub headline was: “They’re moody.  Secretive.  Spacy.  Infuriating!  Now scientists are starting to figure out why.”

I didn’t pay any attention to the article until my 19 year old daughter, Mary Rose, approached me while I was sitting at the kitchen table trying to [...] Read More »]]> http://www.adoration.com/2010/inside-the-head-of-a-teenager/feed/ 3 http://www.adoration.com/2010/the-critic-the-extreme-parent/ http://www.adoration.com/2010/the-critic-the-extreme-parent/#comments Sat, 13 Nov 2010 23:22:45 +0000 Harry http://www.adoration.com/?p=383 On a Friday night about eight years ago, I got myself into an argument with one of my college age children (“the college student”).  The argument centered around a certain movie that I thought was morally objectionable.  At one point, the college student blurted out: “Dad, most Catholics would not agree with you about this movie.  You’re too extreme when comes to things like this.  I can only think of two other people who would [...] Read More »]]> http://www.adoration.com/2010/the-critic-the-extreme-parent/feed/ 4 http://www.adoration.com/2010/say-hello-to-your-new-%e2%80%9cfriend%e2%80%9d/ http://www.adoration.com/2010/say-hello-to-your-new-%e2%80%9cfriend%e2%80%9d/#comments Sat, 23 Oct 2010 23:30:14 +0000 Harry http://www.adoration.com/?p=353 In last week’s article, A Prowler In The House, I threw down the gauntlet and challenged fathers to start conducting surprise inspections of their son’s iPods, cell phones, computers, and other devices.*

After I wrote the article, I kept hearing the same imaginary questions being repeated over and over in my mind: “Yea, right Harry.  How do you expect me to go up to my 16 or 17 year old son and tell him I’m going [...] Read More »]]> http://www.adoration.com/2010/say-hello-to-your-new-%e2%80%9cfriend%e2%80%9d/feed/ 8 http://www.adoration.com/2010/lady-gaga-is-not-a-real-%e2%80%9clady%e2%80%9d/ http://www.adoration.com/2010/lady-gaga-is-not-a-real-%e2%80%9clady%e2%80%9d/#comments Sat, 17 Jul 2010 22:29:36 +0000 Harry http://www.adoration.com/?p=294 I have a rule that my teenage daughters are not allowed to download any songs from the Internet to play on their iPods until I’ve given my approval.  Do you know what I call the wires that come out of an iPod and connect onto the small earphones that go into a teenager’s ears?  Pipelines.  Here’s what travels through those pipelines: (1) sewage that is pumped directly into our children’s brains (and imaginations) that will [...] Read More »]]> http://www.adoration.com/2010/lady-gaga-is-not-a-real-%e2%80%9clady%e2%80%9d/feed/ 1 http://www.adoration.com/2010/the-two-greatest-desires/ http://www.adoration.com/2010/the-two-greatest-desires/#comments Sat, 29 May 2010 22:46:13 +0000 Harry http://www.adoration.com/?p=258 We’ve covered The Idling Man and The Passion Bridge.  The last critical lesson I believe every Catholic girl must be taught before she is allowed to go out on a date with a boy is: The Two Greatest Desires. 

You may have heard of Fr. Clair Bourdereaux.  He was a Franciscan priest who was assigned to Sacred Heart Church in downtown Peoria in 1976.  He remained there for 19 years (until his death in January of [...] Read More »]]> http://www.adoration.com/2010/the-two-greatest-desires/feed/ 0 http://www.adoration.com/2010/the-passion-bridge/ http://www.adoration.com/2010/the-passion-bridge/#comments Sat, 22 May 2010 23:45:45 +0000 Harry http://www.adoration.com/?p=240 In last week’s article, The Unspoken Invitation, I told you there are 3 lessons I think every Catholic girl must be taught before she is allowed to go out on a date with a boy.  I covered the first lesson last week: The Idling Man.  This week I want to tell you about The Passion Bridge.

I met my wife, Georgette, during the summer of 1978 (between my junior and senior year in college).  Even though [...] Read More »]]> http://www.adoration.com/2010/the-passion-bridge/feed/ 0 http://www.adoration.com/2010/the-unspoken-invitation/ http://www.adoration.com/2010/the-unspoken-invitation/#comments Sat, 15 May 2010 23:30:49 +0000 Harry http://www.adoration.com/?p=233 One Saturday evening in the early 1970’s (when I was in high school) I was watching the Miss Universe pageant on television with some of my brothers.  At one point my mom walked into the room.  On the TV screen was Miss Lebanon strutting around in a bikini.  When my mom saw her she said (in a repulsive tone of voice), “She’s really ugly!”  I immediately responded to my mom’s comment by saying, “No she’s [...] Read More »]]> http://www.adoration.com/2010/the-unspoken-invitation/feed/ 0