All quiet in this blog

No, it's not a lenten fast. I am tempted to say that "life is getting in the way" but that would imply that this blog is not part of my life. I'd like to think that it is, infrequent as the posts are, because evangelization is part of my mission. And yet, as I tell my kids often, spending too much time speaking could mean not spending enough time listening. (Being a lecturer, and lecturing them often, that's really ironic coming from me.) I'd like to think that I am spending more time listening, but I know that I have not done enough, though I think have improved some -- at least in terms of observing my family a bit more closely. The kids are growing up so fast!

But it is Lent, so I do ought to put more time into reading. We started using "The Imitation of Christ" (Thomas a Kempis) at night, and most of it probably whizzes past my boys, but these are seeds, and I can certainly use them for myself, too. As a parent, one thing I can say is that you can't neglect your own welfare. Whether or not you adopt a healthy lifestyle (body, mind and soul), your children will take up a lot of that. And that's why Lent should not go by unnoticed in this household. If I don't keep it well, how will they learn to do so?

Extremely explicit sex education materials for children in UK

This report from LifeSiteNews.com (and the report it refers to) is troubling, to say the least. Proposed legislation is currently being debated in the Philippines where some form of sex education is mandated from Grade 5 and up. The bill does not mention parental input and opt-out rights, but it does mention government agencies who will design such a curriculum. What would happen if those agencies just happened to share the same twisted mindset as those who develop such inappropriate materials in the UK? The bill is at best silent on the matter, and leaves the possibility of abuse -- teaching children what parents do not consider appropriate for their children at that age. Parents should rise up and take their responsibilities seriously -- before someone else does so in their stead.