Bringing up children and raising them well is an endless topic for sharing and discussion. Bookshelves and the internet are full of suggestions and ideas about parents as role models, the need for discipline and boundaries and the art of good communication. Nevertheless, family education today is often wanting.

The founder of the Schoenstatt movement, Fr Joseph Kentenich, has many useful things to say about bringing up children. He often called raising children well a “selfless service to life” and he also firmly believed that you simply can’t do the job if you don’t have help from above.

There is no model of family education that could guarantee complete success and be totally effective. We need the power of the Holy Spirit. Working together with God and trusting him through prayer is the cornerstone of bringing up a family. If we want to “build our house on rock”, then we need the daily support and help of God’s presence in our homes. Otherwise, we will be building on sand. It is as simple as that.

Parents look at their children and say to each other: “That’s why we’re here!” We are here for our children, and with God’s grace, we will also be able to say: “It’s been worthwhile!” In the past, God sent his prophets to the people of Israel, Jesus sent his apostles into the world, and God now sends parents to their children. Our children's children will be living years from now. We hope that they will be able to ”look back” at us and comment: “They did really well back then! They prepared us well for life!”

The articles in this section are a short summary of the work done by Hertha and Martin Schiffl (Schoenstatt Movement in Austria) as they brought together the main thoughts from Fr Kentenich about education in the home. Their initiative is not just the fruits of experienced parents, but we may also assume that the Holy Spirit has had a part in it too.

There are nine “steps” of how to love your child enough. We hope that you enjoy them and find lots of joy in putting them into practice.