The Valley Catholic December 10, 2013 | Page 8

8 December 10, 2013 youth & Young Adults It takes a village...to be a parent! By Katy Meister The village mentality has infiltrated our lives through media, social networking, and over-scheduled lives. These days we seem to rely more on one another to get mundane tasks accomplished -- school drop off/pick up, carpool to activities, job sharing, and ready to go meals. Every parent feels pressure. Every parent desires to get the list checked off. Every parent strives to be the hero. Every parent needs support! All parents have skills we can share with one another to help broaden our parental tools. We need one another to cheer us through the positive encounters and hold us up through stressful events. The key is to surround ourselves with people who can positively contribute to our base knowledge. Some parents struggle with making time to develop relationships with other parents at school or extra-curricular activities. Parents like me, who depend on car pools and babysitters do not always have the time to host play dates or attend brunches where friendships are developed. Nonetheless, every parent has something to contribute to the village. Knowledge of their field of expertise may be useful to another parent. Raising kids is tough, but being a parent is even harder. We have to rally together and celebrate one another’s strengths instead of critiquing weaknesses. No parent is perfect. No family is perfect. But together, as a village, we can be a stronger, more aware, better prepared parent. Reliance on other parents’ knowledge can help create safer spaces and experiences for all our children. Utilizing resources we have on hand can improve our parenting styles. Even the most well-intended advice is not always useful to every family. Parents have to decipher what information they can use and what information they can pass along to another family. Thanking parents for their information goes a long way in developing lasting relationships. Take the time to listen to what other parents are experiencing with their children. Ask questions. Inquire about what other parents do for a living or have expertise in. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or information. Be accepting of various parenting styles. Be open to trying a different approach. Raise your child to the best of your abilities. It does not take a village to raise a child. It takes a village to be a parent. • Katy Meister, www.katythesafetylady.com, works with the diocesan Office for the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults (OPCVA) in providing Safe Environment workshops. For more safety related tips and books see Katy on Twitter, FaceBook, and amazon.com. Let’s hear from our youth… We invite youth of the Diocese of San Jose to share their views on important topics in the pages of The Valley Catholic. Jim Pham, father of two and active in his parish of St. Francis of Assisi and in the local Vietnamese Catholic community, asked his children to write their beliefs for the Year of Faith, just ending. His daughter Bethany wrote on why she believes abortion is wrong. We’d like to hear from more young people. Submit articles to [email protected]. -- R. Ward This I believe…abortion is wrong By Bethany Pham, 12 years old In this world, there are some children who are denied the right to live. They are innocent, unborn children. Some people, like me, do not approve of these actions. Abortion is murder -- killing an innocent child. This process doesn’t limit our population. These unborn children are all human beings. This I believe, that every person has the right to live. I believe that abortion is wrong, since it doesn’t limit our population. The USA’s population is growing, and even abortion cannot limit the population. If every woman on this planet commits abortion, there won’t be any offspring to carry on the next generation. Therefore, we’ll all die. Some other opposing people will say that unborn children who have disabilities won’t be accepted in life, and aborting them will make sure they won’t be disrespected. This doesn’t make sense. Even if an unborn child has disabilities, people should let that child live, for there will be people who will respect these children, regardless of their disabilities. Therefore, abortion is wrong; this I believe. Second, I believe abortion is wrong because even if the child is unborn, it is Peace of mind. Pre-planning your funeral means protecting your family from additional stress. Call us to learn about the Catholic Funeral Plan™ Here to serve you with faith, hope and love. www.ccdsj.org Gate of Heaven Cemetery 22555 Cristo Rey Drive Los Altos, CA 94024 [phone] www.valleycatholiconline.com Calvary Cemetery 2650 Madden Avenue San Jose, CA 95116 [phone] T he Valley Catholic St. John the Baptist Cemetery 651 Old Piedmont Road Milpitas, CA 95035 [phone] considered a human being. Some people don’t believe that an unborn child is human, or living. This is incorrect. When a woman finds out she is pregnant, she can hear the child’s heartbeat. This indicates the preborn child is living, but still being processed. It is also considered “human” because it has human parents. A fetus is simply an unborn human being, forming in its mother’s womb. Abortion is wrong; this I believe. I believe abortion is wrong because it is murdering a person from the inside. According to the Ten Commandments, the Fifth Commandment states: “Thou shall not kill.” This applies to everyone in this world, not only for Roman Catholics. The Fifth Commandment means not to take away life from any human being. Abortion is one of the most common ways to kill others. A fetus is a human being forming in a mother’s womb. Killing the fetus would cause the death of a human being. Therefore, abortion is wrong; this I believe. Lastly, abortion doesn’t have any advantages. It takes away a human’s life. The population will grow, even if most people commit abortion. The fetus is an alive human being. Because of this, abortion is wrong; this I believe. 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