Brookes Ebetsch took only a long weekend off work after giving birth to her daughter in Texas in 2011. Her employer didn’t offer paid leave, and she and her husband couldn’t afford to take the financial hit of having her take weeks off. Her daughter, Sabina, arrived on a Thursday and Ebetsch was back at Read more
I understand where Jennifer Aniston is coming from. Like many of her peers in Hollywood, not to mention scholars and writers opining on fatherhood these days, she has come to the conclusion that dads are dispensable: “Women are realizing it more and more knowing that they don’t have to settle with a man just to Read more
German women should be encouraged to “stay at home and bring three or four children into the world” to increase the birth rate, according to Cardinal Joachim Meisner of Cologne. He said immigration is not the answer to the demographic crisis in Germany, which has the lowest birth rate in Europe at 1.36 children per Read more
In high school, I loved all those little sayings I heard Christians say. You know the ones – When God closes a door, he opens a window. Or Don’t put God in a box! My personal favorite was when one of my friends in my small group went through a break up with a boy, our small group leader Read more
New Zealand needs a greater commitment to measuring the children’s well-being say New Zealand’s Catholic Bishops. Responding to the release of the UNICEF Innocenti report into Child well-being in rich countries, Archbishop John Dew, speaking on behalf of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference, said it was a matter of concern that New Zealand does Read more
What can be more painful to a parent than losing a child to suicide? The problem of cyberbullying was brought to national attention several years ago by the passing of 13-year-old Megan Meier, who committed suicide subsequent to cyberbullying by Lori Drew, the mother of another girl. Despite years of public campaigns and passage of Read more
Pope Francis has emphasised the “fundamental” importance of women in the Catholic Church, saying they have a privileged role because of their ability to pass on the faith through love. He said women have always had a special mission in the Church as “first witnesses” of Christ’s Resurrection, and because they pass the faith on Read more
Children are being groomed by alcohol companies years before they reach the legal drinking age, through advertising on Facebook, researchers say. Massey University health psychology associate professor Antonia Lyons says checking Facebook was part of their everyday routine and it was used as a platform to organise social events, many of which revolved around drinking. Read more
The scenario is familiar to everyone working in parish ministry–8th Grade religious education apathy. When they’re young, they are so full of natural desire for religion. In 3rd Grade, their eyes light up when talking about God. Even by 6th Grade, you can still see that spark. However, in 7th Grade it starts to wane, Read more
As he was addressing a group of MPs and their staff who had come together to discuss child poverty Parliament last week, Victoria University public policy Professor Jonathan Boston realised he was the only man in the room. Boston, who is co-chairman of the Children’s Commissioner’s advisory group on solutions to child poverty has discovered a significant Read more