Consumerism and the Family

I am a BuzzFeed fanatic. When I’m not doing homework (which I do do occasionally, mom) you can usually find me scrolling endlessly down the feed, looking at quizzes and pictures and lists. This is why, when blog overlord Damian sent me this post containing pictures of dads in Sweden with their kids, I clicked instantly.

Looking at the pictures, those fathers look so happy to be with their kids. Their kids look secure and happy to be with their dads. Sweden has mandatory sixty-day paternal leave and 480 days of total leave time for both parents. (In contrast, the U.S. has a suggested 12 weeks' maternity leave and neither suggested nor mandatory paternal leave!) The Swedish government is actively trying to promote the family, perhaps to combat the fact that Sweden has the second-highest divorce rate in Europe. But the dissolution of families, who are the very foundation of society and civilization, is a worldwide problem, especially in our own backyard. And no, I don’t mean Canada.

Tamales and Tradition: Tani's Christmas Post

Hey, y'all! It's Christmas — a time of tradition, hope, and most important, family. After all, we're celebrating how God joined our human family so that we could all have the hope of being together in Heaven! So, I'm going to make this post about family! Recently, I took to Facebook to ask about various Christmas traditions. Here are some of your answers:

In Which I Clear Up Misconceptions About My Large (but Loving!) Catholic Family

Hello, denizens of the Internet world! I'm Tani, I'm a cradle Catholic, and I'm 18 fabulous years old. I'm new here, and like every great story where there's a new kid butting into an old group, I'm going to desperately try to fit in before eventually realizing that I was perfect the way I was the entire time! *cue end music by Beyoncé*

Anyway, I was asked to write a bit about life in a big family. I am the third of twelve children (eleven on Earth, and one waiting to meet us in Heaven), a fact which makes some people choke, turn purple, and then ask my family absurd questions like, "Don't you know what causes that?" and, "Aren't you tired?" and, "Are you Mormon?" So, I thought I'd address some misconceptions about my type of family and tell you what it's really like growing up in the noisy, busy, and sometimes messy world of the Federoff house.

Big Catholic families: Now with 90 percent less shapeless denim!

Baptism By Fire: The Unwilling Godparent's Dilemma

But he has to, Don! He's not Catholic!

Recently, a good friend of mine contacted me because he is facing a particularly awkward family situation. My friend was born into a Catholic family, but he is not religious himself. His brother asked him to be the godfather to his newborn niece, and he is incredibly uncomfortable being placed into such a situation. The first half of this post is our exchange on the matter, with only minor edits for clarity. For the sake of confidence, I have changed my friend's name to Tim and his niece's to Lily. Tim's words are in italics:

When the Village Turns on You... Love Harder!

Praised Be Jesus!

I hope this post finds everyone well! As we traverse through the month of November, I thought that it would be a good idea to reflect on the lives of some Saints, and with Thanksgiving speedily approaching, we will be remembering that very, how should I say... colorful story (lie) of the first Thanksgiving of the Pilgrims and Native Americans. But in the spirit of the holiday, I thought we should focus on one of the Church's newest Saints, Kateri Tekakwitha.