Tag: parent

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Jean Mueller

Advising senior parents about housing decisions

Question: I think this may have come up before, but I am wondering if there are some guidelines for choosing where to move when being at home is no longer an option.

My father is ready to move out of the family home. He admits he cannot keep up with maintenance and chores and since my mother passed away, he feels he is just occupying an empty space.

My siblings and I are so grateful he feels this way and want to support him as best we can. He does have some health issues and we have wondered if he is depressed or if he might have some memory issues because of some things he has been forgetting.

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Jean Mueller

Having an ‘adult’ conversation with a parent

I suddenly feel as though I cannot communicate with my father.

Our conversations have become more like a parent-child check-in rather than a pleasant visit. What I mean by that is I feel as though I am taking on a more parental role in our relationship.

My dad lives alone and has some chronic health conditions but nothing too serious. Lately my visits have become focused on whether or not he took his medications, or if he has eaten, or when he last did.

I want dad to be safe and happy but I don’t want to be the person drawing attention to all of the things he is not doing to care for himself.

Is this typical of aging parents? I have no siblings and most of my other relatives live far away.

(From a daughter in Baraboo.)

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Fr. Tad Pacholczyk

Parents play key role in sex education

While some parents might be happy to avoid the awkward conversations that arise around human sexuality by allowing the school system to provide their children’s sex education, it is nonetheless important for parents to recognize that they are the most significant teachers and models for their own children as they mature sexually.

Instilling a healthy attitude about sexuality in young people involves a variety of considerations, including conveying a proper sense of constraints and boundaries. These boundaries arise organically through the virtue of chastity, by which a person acquires the ability to renounce self, to make sacrifices, and to wait generously in consideration of loving fidelity toward a future spouse, out of self-respect, and out of fidelity to God.

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Andy Galvin

Theme five: Creating the Future

Andy Galvin

To prepare for the upcoming World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia this September, the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis of the Diocese of Madison is providing a monthly series on a particular theme on marriage and family. Each theme is a chapter in the preparatory catechesis developed for the event entitled Love Is Our Mission: The Family Fully Alive, available in paperback from www.osvparish.com or for free online at www.worldmeeting2015.org

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Jean Mueller

Distinguishing between fact and fiction

Ask Jean by Jean Mueller column logo

Q My mother just moved into a lovely condominium. It is not designated as an “over 55 community,” however many older adults live there.

Lately, my mother has been telling me about some instances when she hears the doorbell ring very late at night or very early in the morning.

She is careful not to get up, is vigilant about making sure the door is locked, and has a home security system sign posted by the front door. There is no evidence that someone is trying to break in or that anything is disturbed.

She has not notified anyone and insists she is fine. I don’t want to doubt her, but is this a cry for attention? I find it difficult to believe that anyone would just ring someone’s doorbell and take off.

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Jean Mueller

Signs indicating a senior may need help

Ask Jean by Jean Mueller column logo

Q As a follow-up to your column last month, I am a long distance caregiver as well.

Although my mother tells me repeatedly that she is doing well, I need some specific things to look for when I visit her later this month.

What should I notice to give me a better idea for how well she is caring for herself? (From a daughter in Beloit)

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Kevin Wondrash

Birth parent support group starting

MADISON — Catholic Charities’ Post Adoption Resource Center will be sponsoring a birth parent support group for parents who have voluntarily placed their child up for adoption. The adoption did not have to occur through Catholic Charities in order to attend.

The support group will take place on Mondays from Dec. 1 through Dec. 22 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at 1810 S Park St. Suite 200 in Madison. The support group is free, safe, and confidential.

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Jean Mueller

Check authenticity of ‘once in a lifetime’ investment

Q I have always considered my parents to be intelligent and capable of making good decisions, but I wonder if they may be taken in by a new acquaintance who is also in the investment business.

They recently invested in a project that is “going to be huge,” according to the investor. My parents were told not to share too many details because they are a few of the “special people” who were allowed in on this.

It sounds so fishy to me, but they think this is the next big thing but they can’t tell me what it is. Am I over-reacting? (A concerned son in Evansville).

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Michael Lancaster

Catholic schools: Faith, academics, service

Our Catholic Schools, by Michael Lancaster“Why do we have Catholic schools?” I mean really, why do we have Catholic schools? It’s a question I hear much too often.

Yet it is a question that I am passionate about answering, not just because I’m the superintendent, but because I’ve experienced Catholic schools as a student, a parent, a teacher, and an administrator, and I am completely, totally, and unequivocally convinced that Catholic schools are awesome!

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