The War that (truly) Matters; Daddies and Daughters; and my current podcast lineup
The War that (really, truly) Matters
What a boon it would be if the American public were as concerned about the war that is raging in the right here and now, the one that carries its own set of boundary battles. The war for the hearts of your children is far more lethal, and yet warrants no alarmist headlines from angst-y news reporters. Watching Fox News or CNN 24/7, a fate I would wish not even upon my worst enemy, would lead one to believe that subsuming yourself in the latest moment-by-moment update somehow directs what you are called to do in your daily life. But what truly impacts your life is the moment-by-moment interaction with your children, and the community right around you. Does it matter that Putin wants to make (or re-make) Ukraine his own? Well, yes. But does it matter infinitely more if contemporary American culture wants to make your son or daughter its own? The answer is a resounding yes. Wars come and wars go; but let us not forget that the real frontline battle has nothing to do with threats of broken financial systems and political meltdowns. It has to do with what happens when your family sits down for dinner tonight. Those children in the throes of toddlerhood or battling the pitfalls of puberty are the soldiers in need of serious artillery and the boot camp required to make it all work well — and you're just the commander to provide it.
Daddies and Daughters
As I've been putting together (musical) sets for a couple upcoming shows, I have been able to observe more than usual just how perfectly God created the nuclear family to fix the problems that the world can never fix. Namely, fathers and daughters. In our concert sets, we sing one song that talks about the special relationship between the leader of the family and the beauties he’s called to care for, and each of my 3 daughters sings a verse. Every time my girls sing it, tears are wiped away in the audience. I suspect some of those tears are in response to the unadulterated sweetness and innocence of the song, and others are brought forth by personal sadness and hidden stories of loss. Here is what I know: when daughters are loved by their fathers, they are secure in their identity. They don't go flippin’ and floppin’ from boy to boy and don't seek the inappropriate attention of every male in sight by their clothing and speech. They can behave as those who are loved, doted on, protected, and thus utterly free* to grow up into who God has created them to be. The burden is on the dads to make this happen - and it is the lightest and easiest burden imaginable. What dad doesn't want to spend time with his sprightly young daughter and later his elegant older daughter? Only a fool would choose to holler over beer at a sporting event rather than to chat over ice cream about the hopes, dreams, and observations of the young woman growing up right before him. While I am the first to admit that I am prone to hyperbole, I remain committed to my oft-repeated statement that 90% of our societal pathologies would be eliminated if only daughters were truly loved by their daddies.
*freedom is one of the most misunderstood concepts in all of contemporary chatter today, both inside and outside the church. We are redeemed such that we become free to obey - not free to sin.
Podcasts for 2022
And finally, because I am so regularly asked about this, here are some of my favorite podcasts these days (note: my rotation regularly changes; often I get tired of listening to the same people make the same observations, so I delete the podcast from my feed. Also, not every podcast that I listen to is listed below, but these are my current favs):
Uncommon Knowledge (by the Hoover Institution)
Homeschool Made Simple (by Carole Joy Seid, who did more than any other living person to shape the vision [and reality] of the childhood my four would actually encounter)
Thinking in Public (have never missed an episode since it launched)
First Things (I listen to most episodes, and some of my favorite Catholic thinkers appear here)
Just Thinking (I have been listening to these guys for 2 years now and appreciate that their boldness and cultural insights supersede their lack of brevity :) )
Until next time, here are some marching orders: go talk to your children, go read a good book, and go take a meandering walk in nature.
Allison