"In the last 50 years, the U.S. population has seen an increase in their standard of living, such as having more money, owning more homes and cars and living longer. But our sense of meaning, purpose and satisfaction with life have not gone up, they have gone down," said psychologist Martin Seligman, PhD, of the University of Pennsylvania. "This has been especially detrimental to children. Nearly 20 percent of young people experience depression."

The second program, the PPP, sought to help students identify their signature character strengths (e.g., kindness, courage, wisdom and perseverance) and incorporate these strengths in day-to-day life. The program consisted of 20 to 25 80-minute sessions delivered during ninth grade. The students wrote in journals about the activity.

One exercise involved the students' writing down three good things that happened each day for a week. Examples were: "I answered a really hard question in Spanish class," "I helped my mom shop for groceries" or, "The guy I've liked for months asked me out." Next to each positive event, the students answered the following questions: "What does this mean to you?" and "How can you increase the likelihood of having more of this good thing in the future?"

To determine the program's effectiveness, 347 high school students rated their love of learning, kindness, behavioral problems, enjoyment of school and grades. The students were randomly assigned to a class with the program or to one without. The teachers and parents also rated the students but were not told who took the program.

The students who took the program reported more enjoyment and engagement in school. The teachers reported those students were more curious about what they were doing, loved learning and showed more creativity. MORE

For more information about how positive psychology can improve your life, check out The Penn Positive Psychology Center.

...back on Yahoogroups!  I'm glad because I never got used to the new forums.  This used to be a great, great way to buy used, faithful Catholic homeschooling materials!  Please join up or join back up if you haven't visited for awhile.

The Catholic Curriculum Swap (est. 5/7/99)

The Largest & Oldest Swap Resource for Roman Catholics on the Net

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cathswap/

I have been thinking a lot about trying to get back and be more active on the blog here, and I felt I wanted to write a bit about what I am doing here and why.  I've been gone for some time, and our blog is such a wide-ranging forum, with each blogger bringing somewhat different interests, but all of us bound together by a love for our beautiful Catholic Faith, and by our appreciation and affinity for Greg and Lisa Popcak's great work in their ministry focusing on marriage, parenting and family life. 

Before I became a contributor here, I was an active reader and commentor for quite a long time.  My first two sons were small and I used to listen to Greg and Lisa's noon radio show on Ave Maria Radio in Ann Arbor, MI on the way to pick my oldest boy up from Montessori kindergarten, before the start of homeschooling.  From their show, I was really formed and educated about Catholic marriage (though I had recently converted as an adult), and I was greatly strengthened from a perspective of faith in my own practice of attachment parenting and ecological breastfeeding, which I had begun to practice from my association with La Leche League in the early days of mothering.

During the years I was just listening to Greg and Lisa's show, and mothering my little boys, I became a La Leche League Leader, and a diocesan natural family planning instructor.  Then I became a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator.  Greg and Lisa - through their books and radio show, as well as this blog - helped me tie together so many of my interests and gave me a good grounding in how they all relate in an important way to the Faith.  All of the other bloggers (including Rachel whom I loved to hear on the radio as well!) all deepened my faith and understanding of so many areas as well.

Eventually, after I bugged Kevin a million times a day with comments, Greg invited me to join the blog, and I was so excited that when my husband came in the door after I got the invitation, he saw the look on my face and said, "We won a million dollars?" and I said, "Better!"  And he said, "The KIDS ARE ALL IN BED?" and I said, "Not that good."  ;)  Then I said I was invited to blog with Greg Popcak and the rest is history.

Over the years, I have tried to blog a mix of news items and commentary related to my areas of interest - the sanctity and dignity of life, the dignity and vocation of women, especially mothers, the goodness of women's bodies by God's design, including the goodness of fertility, childbirth and breastfeeding, the importance of loving guidance and attachment parenting for children and the family, and occasionally a little about at-home motherhood and homeschooling - all of course in the context of our beautiful Catholic Faith. 

In the past two years, my focus has been on learning what I needed to know to help my son get through his battle with leukemia, and then also my mother through her final battle with breast cancer.  Work in all of my areas of interest outside of the family has been pretty much suspended.  But now I am trying to climb back out, and I would like to get back to the blog.

I still enjoy sharing a mix of short news items related to my special areas of interest, along with the opportunity to write (I hope thoughtfully but at least with good intention) more deeply about things as I am able.  Because all of my areas of interest touch on deeply held values, especially choices about childbirth, breastfeeding, and parenting styles, I occasionally (and with regret)  touch a nerve with a mom  and hurt her feelings, (or very rarely trigger an Internet-wide debate, which can be traumatic...) and my blogging brings readers feelings of guilt or regret.  I honestly don't know how to avoid this, and as I get going blogging again, I feel I want to say something to help avoid or ease feelings that my blogging might inspire of this sort.

I honestly believe, and have always believed, that every mother is the expert on her baby and family, and I know that each and every mother who reads here loves her children and the Lord, and is on her knees every day like I am, just trying to figure it all out and do it right.  I know that there are some here who would like to be mothers but aren't able, and some who would like to be more available to their babies, but just can't.  I also know that there is no "one right way" to give birth or to nurture our babies.

However, I do strongly believe that there is much to be learned from God's natural design - for our fertility, and our birthing, and our childrearing.  I acknowledge that technology and man's intelligence and innovation are great gifts from God as well, and that they have a great capacity when rightly and humbly used to improve our lives.  I think that in the world today, though, we as Catholics, are faced with a secular society that idolizes technology and man-made intervention and control OVER nature, a society that aims at every turn to deny or override God's plan.  I think (and I know this sounds a little over the top) that Satan knows very well that the destruction of the family is the way to destroy the People of God, and that he very subtly (and sometimes in not so subtle ways) does all he can to undermine women in the fullness of their dignity and vocation, ESPECIALLY by attacking the main incidents of motherhood. 

If Satan can help women grow to fear, resent, or worse, despise their fertility, their God-given ability to give birth and nurture their children, and their understanding of their children's intense need for their presence (whether the children are biological or not), he can breed detachment, self-centeredness and materialism in all the family members. If Satan can tear women  from their commitment to nurturing their families as their first priority in the home he can undo much that God has planned for us as Christian families.  By this I don't mean that all women have to be stay-at-home moms or homeschool (though I do believe these are very valuable and worthwhile ways to live out our mothering vocation!).  But we are tempted at every turn to turn away from our families, by the desire for more money or more recognition of the world.  We are also tempted by otherwise GOOD things - by the willingness to do too much volunteer work or even Church work, or even by our own perfectionism, which makes us strive to have perfect homes and perfect bodies and perfect appearances, at the expense of the nurturing needs of our families.

In promoting the teachings of the Church on family planning, and the dignity and vocation of women, as well as by encouraging knowledge and understanding of God's plan for childbearing and nurturing as we read in the Book of Nature, I do really hope to help women who so desire to stay strong in an era of powerful secularism and secular feminism, both of which are diametrically opposed to what we stand for on this blog. 

As I get going again, I worry that I may ruffle feathers with my own particular views and opinions, and I welcome feedback (and I generally post criticism of my own views, as well as reader feedback that is favorable to my viewpoint).  I don't ask readers to agree with me, but I do believe strongly that natural ways are best and healthiest, and that God has planned and provided all that most of us need to be able to fulfill our vocation as women, wives and mothers without a lot of drugs, devices, procedures or experts.  As I have in the past, I want to get back to writing about choices in childbirth (emphasizing the natural but by no means judging those who need or want to make other choices), breastfeeding, and natural family planning.  I hope that I can strike a good balance between strong advocacy for what I think is right and best (for most families), and respect for those who don't share my views.  This is my sincere intention and I hope readers who don't think I am quite getting the balance right will give me the benefit of the doubt at least on my good will, and will feel free to make their own views known so I can share them.

Thanks for all the prayers and support you have given me over the past year.  Please pray for all our bloggers here that our work together in the Lord's vineyard will be fruitful, and know that we pray for our co-bloggers and readers as well.

More reason to breastfeed - one close to my heart, since my mother just passed away from recurrent breast cancer:

Women with a family history of cancer may lower their risk of pre-menopausal breast cancer by breastfeeding their children, a new study suggests.

Among those with a mother or sister with breast cancer, researchers in the U.S. found a 59 per cent reduction in the incidence of pre-menopausal breast cancer for women who breastfed, researchers reported in Monday's online issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

More...

Rachel - I didn't see the segment, and I'm not sure what to think.  On the one hand, I do think that all the hype about pregnancy "bumps" among celebrities, and the trendiness of celeb pregnancies makes me think that among some of these high-profile women who are getting pregnant (and now maybe the Jon and Kate Plus 8 phenom) are doing it more for attention than for the joys and struggles of motherhood.  I often wonder how many of THEM, after the glamor of showing off their perfect pregnant bodies, question whether it is worth it laying down your life for your child - or if there is even an ethic of that sort of thing among that famous crowd.

That said, I think most women who enjoy being pregnant are just really plugged into the God-given joy of being mothers and cooperating with God.  I think even women who are secular or atheist but who enjoy having children and are open to large families sense this greater connection to God or to something bigger than themselves in welcoming new life into their families.  I think when we are not overly influenced by our culture of wanting absolute control - over our schedules, over our life plans, over our time (because goodness knows motherhood doesn't lend itself to THAT) - we are able to breathe in the joy that God means for us to have in our childbearing and childraising.

I have met a few women before who were such strongly self-giving mothers that I had the vague feeling that it was only if they were pregnant or nursing a small baby that they felt it was actually okay to take a break and pamper and take care of themselves.  In other words, when they were not pregnant, they did not feel justified at all in every taking time for themselves or putting their own needs first because they were so very devoted to caring for their children.  They loved being pregnant in general (and loved having many kids), but pregnancy also kind of forced them to slow down and rest and take a little time for themselves.   I could never fault anyone for being this strongly self-giving a mother, or for being open to children.  Children are always and everywhere a blessing, and pregnant women deserve pampering and care.  I just remember thinking, "It's just as important to refill your love tank and recharge your own batteries when you're not pregnant so that you can withstand the pressure of mothering as wonderfully well as you do." 

I don't think something like this amounts to a pregnancy addiction, and I surely don't think it means that women are getting pregnant for their own selfish purposes.  I think it is just reflective of how much pressure mothers feel in general to lay down their lives for their children and to feel guilty for taking care of themselves.

I think the whole pregnancy "addiction" accusation is just the mainstream media's way of accusing mothers of large families (or even of moderately-sized families) of loving motherhood too much.

You can't love motherhood too much.  And when we follow the teachings of our Church - to accept children lovingly as the gift they are, and yet not objectify them by believing we are ENTITLED to have the number we specify (especially through the use of immoral artificial reproductive technology), we can rest assured we are "appropriately" in love with pregnancy and childbearing.

Says Archbishop Dolan:

“Oh, there’s tons of challenges, my Lord, there’s never any dearth of challenges,” the archbishop began, explaining that the basic challenge for all Catholics is the same one that Jesus gave on Pentecost Sunday: “Go out to the world and preach the Gospel.”

The archbishop then broke down Jesus’ words into four practical challenges the Church currently faces in preaching the Gospel to all people, the first being the instability of marriage and family.

“That’s where we have the real vocation crisis,” he remarked, noting that “only 50% of our Catholic young people are getting married.”

“We have a vocation crisis to life-long, life-giving, loving, faithful marriage.  If we take care of that one, we’ll have all the priests and nuns we need for the church,” Dolan said.

More...

The second most popular activity, according to the survey, was having a good chat with friends and outdoor recreation took third place.

This is a perfect example of what I argue in Holy Sex!   The Netherlands is arguably among the most sexually liberal nations on earth.  They are experts at eroticism (i.e., sex that is purely recreational, is not life giving, life affirming, and relationally based). But they know nothing about Holy Sex (i.e., sex that is a re-creation of the wedding day, that is open to life, affirming of the personhood of the couple, and facilitating union between husband and wife).  

In Holy Sex!  I argue that eroticism, though it seems pleasurable at first, becomes boring and pointless in time. The fact that the most sexually liberal nation on earth looks more forward to taking a dump than being intimate with a spouse pretty much proves my point.

Women -discover your God-given dignity and reflect on your vocation by studying the writings of Pope John Paul II on womanhood!  Studies on the writings of Edith Stein and Thomas Aquinas, on Humanae Vitae and Lumen Gentium, and on the Blessed Mother are also available!!

Classes are forming for the fall - see if any are offered in your state, or if they aren't consider applying to facilitate!  We had been enjoying them for three sessions now in my diocese and we love them so much!!

...without parental knowledge or consent.  Apparently children as young as 12 can be "educated" on STIs and tested without parental consent in all 50 states.  I can't even think about my 11-year-old son NEXT YEAR being "educated" in a public school about STIs and being tested and I not having any input into this.

I believe students can opt out of the testing program, but the idea, though understandable given the conditions modern teens face, scares me to death for our children.

Thanks to a reader for this encouragement, and this question:

I appreciate each of your reflections on pregnancy and motherhood more generally.  One question did pop into my mind, though.  Do you think that your enjoyment of pregnancy is a sign of your call to have (many) children or that it is a grace that was given you in response to your openness to life?

Wow.  Good question.  I think for me myself, my enjoyment of pregnancy (and breastfeeding and attachment parenting) is a grace that was given to me once I became open to life.  As I have written here before, until I was 30, and came to know (through John and Sheila Kippley's work) about natural family planning, God's plan for marriage, and then God's plan for motherhood through breastfeeding, I was not open to life at all.  I thought pregnancy and especially childbirth and breastfeeding were disgusting and I couldn't imagine that anyone would want to go through them.  Friends who knew me then and know me now don't really know what happened to me.  I do really believe that the Lord led me out of deception (and eventually into the Catholic Church), and that as I gradually opened my heart to His plan for marriage and family, that I was blessed with a love of pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding, and that I was given the grace to enjoy being a mother.  I think that being open to life has kept the door open for me to receive more grace and grow in joy and understanding of my vocation.

I guess for myself that would be the answer, because, to my sorrow, I am not called to have many children.  Because I came late to an understanding of the beauty of my vocation as a mother, I have only been given the gift of three (naturally spaced through breastfeeding alone) children.  (We lost one baby to a miscarrage between our second and third sons.)  I am still hopeful (at age 42) that the Lord will somehow bless us again, but I can't know for sure. 

For me enjoyment of pregnancy came after my process of becoming open to life.  I do know many mothers who are called to have many children don't necessarily enjoy pregnancy, and maybe this discussion will bring out their perspectives. 

Can any other mothers speak to my reader's question?