Sisters and daughters

A moving, poignant essay by a Catholic professor and father about the entry of his daughters into religious orders:

http://www.firstthings.com/article/2009/07/sisters-daughters/

If the article doesn't come up, scroll down in the list to the article with the title below.

This article brought tears to my eyes.

Hi Austenfan,

I have been thinking about this story today. The point that I took away from the story was how we as parents often have trouble letting go of the life we imagine for our children. Of course, my children aren't at the point of discerning their calling in life, but I could relate to it in the way that I have subconciously tried to repeat experiences from my own childhood and make them their experience as well. It said a lot to me about how our culture has such a stranglehold on what is defined as a successful and fruitful life, that even a professor at a Catholic university falls victim to that image.

Thanks for sharing.

Peace

I just wanted to agree with that.

I think the culture does have a strangehold on what is considered frutiful and successful, and I think the Professor articulated his struggles over his expectations quite well. Having two sisters in the same religious order has a history as we know from Therese of Lisieux and her sister. (Or did she have two others sisters in an order?) It seems that by the end he had come to some sort of resolution, but not without the fights.

I think we do want our children to appareciate the things we do. I have frequently said, "If I have a son who doesn't enjoy reading I'll feel like dying." He reads now, but honestly, I think he likes video games just as well.