What’s on your coffee table?

As a Catholic, what’s on your coffee table?

Most coffee tables store nick-nacks, the TV Guide and maybe a few other magazines. What type of material are you providing for your family..? Young children and teens have curious minds. When they’re bored, they will causually pick up whatever is handy. The ideas in the books and magazines you make available are the ones that are going to shape their young minds.

Do you know what your child’s interests are? As a parent you shape their interests from a very early age whether you realize it or not.

That’s why it is important to provide Catholic books and even board games to give them a heads up on what it means to be Catholic.

Do you cast books away that might instill bad behavior or unclean thoughts in your children? Or…are they left lying around haphazardly without a second thought of their affect on young minds?

It is important to stress Catholic values and the virtues. Instilled at an early age and nourished throughout a childs life, chances are, they will be carried on into adulthood. Your children have a lot to gain by the bad books you’re willing to lose.

Magazines, once thought to be ’safe’, now contain articles like, “How to choose your partner for life” etc. What standards are these authors using to counsell the reader when chosing a life partner? What exactly do they mean by life partner? These articles are neatly placed between the recipes and needlework patterns.

It is very important that you check the table of contents for all the articles listed in the magazine before you decide to buy it. By doing this you eliminate the devils tools before your children, or you, have a chance to use them.

Imagine one day, your grandchild runs in with a book in their hand and says, “Gramma, look at the new book mommy and daddy bought me! It’s all about the Little Flower. Her name is Thérèse and. . .

Hmmm, they were paying attention after all.

So, “What’s on your coffee table?”