As a father of nine children, Patrick Sullivan knows a thing or two about parenting.
He has set out to share his parenting knowledge with Catholic families by creating “Me and My House,” a Catholic parenting program aimed to help parents develop the faith-filled family life they desire.
PATRICK SULLIVAN
Me and My House
'So we're not just talking about stopping the fighting among siblings. We're talking about getting back that peace enjoy that all of us crave all of us want in our homes. And guess what, when we dreamed about our marriage and our family life, we were thinking about something like that. Something peaceful, something joy filled. So that's what this program is all about.'
“Me and My House” provides practical tips for confronting common parenting problems such as complaints about boredom to conflict resolution from a uniquely Catholic perspective.
-'We want our kids to know themselves well enough to know what actually helps them to relax, what helps them to de-stress and what they can do with their minds and bodies if they ever need to get distracted for a time.'
PATRICK SULLIVAN
Me and My House
'We cover things like boredom when your kids are coming to you and saying I'm bored Dad, Mom, what do you do? We talked about that we talked about sibling rivalry, how we change the word slightly and what they do with their own bodies after the conflict, so that their relationship can be repaired.'
Ultimately, Patrick says that getting the kids to behave doesn't come from harsh discipline tactics, but from nurturing their talents and modeling the faith to them.
-'So how do we make sure that our kids see the world through a lens that inspires artists of all kinds? We activate their imaginations.'
PATRICK SULLIVAN
Me and My House
'This isn't just about rules and it's not just about making mum and dad happier having a quieter home. Really, this is about how do we go out into the world and love the world, like our Lord does. And from my perspective, at least that means we parents who have been given this great gift of children, we have to teach them actually we have to model for them how we do that.'
Parents like Patrick show that it's possible to balance faith with the reality of family life, and his tips are enriching Catholic families from “Me and My House” to households everywhere.
JM
