“We can get a lot of mileage over devotions, practices, and habits over the course of their young lives that gives our children their orientation in the world, that this is who we are.”

Tim Muldooon

Who is Tim Muldoon?

Tim Muldoon (Ph.D., Catholic Systematic Theology, Duquesne University) is a theologian, author, and professor for nearly 25 years. He has written or edited a number of books on Ignatian spirituality, marriage and family, and the theology of the laity.

He and his wife Sue Muldoon, a therapist and religious educator, have written three books on the spirituality of family life: Six Sacred Rules for Families, The Discerning Parent (both from Ave Maria Press), and Reclaiming Family Time (The Word Among Us Press).

How To Reclaim Family Time?

In this episode, Tim Muldoon talks about how to reclaim family time. He explains:
-How do we know the time we’re spending with our family is not enough or good enough?
-What are some rules for families?
-Are there steps we can take to reclaim family time?
-What happens if we don’t do this? What’s the danger?
-What can we do once we’ve reclaimed that family time? What do we do?

The Problem With Reclaiming Family Time

When I asked Tim about coming on our podcast it was in response to the fact that there were so many prayer petitions for families. Families or domestic churches as we know them are under immense attack.

One of the problems is communication and family time. We tend to spend time with our families but is it really quality time.

All of us juggle with how much until we feel guilty when someone complains or you forget something. I love how Tim mentions that we only have our children for so long. Time really flies and in that short span we have to prepare our kids with faith, hope, and love that will outlast us.

My mother as an empty nester always complains to any young parent she meets to hold their children dear and cherish the moments because that’s all they have. Most of them don’t understand her.

That’s because as a parent they are focused on the moment. And Tim keeps reminding us that we should be focused on the bigger picture.

Tim talks about setting aside leisure time and spending it as a collective and with each member for the family. He also tells us not to beat ourselves over it. Parenting can be hard but we can learn from the examples of the people that have done this before. Tim and Sue have written a book, Reclaiming Family Time for those who’d like to read more.

ENJOYED THIS PODCAST?

We hope you enjoyed this podcast. Check out our podcasts on Raising Christian Children and Common Qualities of Families that Produced Saints. Finally, if you liked this podcast, like us, leave us a comment and share our episodes on social media with those who may benefit from it. If there is a particular saint that you would like to hear about us, tell us and we’ll add him or her to our future episodes.

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