The Austin Diocese has made the following article available for free download and distribution. We collaborated with Dr. Joseph White, Ph.D. to offer you “Healthy Communication in Sacramental Marriage”. Please read and share!
Healthy Communication in Marriage
Parenting in the Funnel
One way of being a way of being a sign of God to our children is to “Parent in the Funnel” . This involves teaching our children about and setting limits for our children over time. It also involves teaching our children about authentic freedom. Freedom is the ability to do what one ought to do. In fact, Blessed John Paul II, said that true freedom is doing what one wants to do when they are doing what they ought to do. It is integrity. It is not license. Parenting in the Funnel involves moving your children (in a way similar to how God desires to move us) from limits and boundaries towards increasingly greater freedom that ultimately includes their setting their own limits and boundaries. To a place where St. Augustine can say, “Love and do what you will.” Parents, in doing this, are actually mirroring God’s move over time from limits, i.e. Thou Shalt Nots, to a New Testament fulfillment of using freedom to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves. The Mystery of Parenthood is at least, in part, being a sign of God to our children. Parenting in the funnel helps us to be this sign.