Global Parents Day is one of those days most of us have not yet heard about, but it sits alongside Mother’s Day and Father’s day as an international day of celebration.

Read a reflection on parenting by Deacon Peter Silsbury who leads the Diocese’s Marriage and Family Life Team.

Being a parent is perhaps one of the hardest jobs we can undertake.
Our daily lives do not run smooth, especially when babies, young children and teenagers are involved, but our role as a parent is to nurture and guide our children from the moment they are born. The road ahead is often rocky and the many stages they go through can seem quite traumatic! A baby cries because that is the only way it can communicate until it can put words together, but a crying baby can sometimes lead to additional strain within the family and put extra strain on parents, especially when they are tired from working long hours or dealing with additional family costs.
But as a parent, it is our job to understand the needs of a crying baby. All too soon our children grow up and start to develop their own personality, often leading to conflict because our children do not want to conform to our way of thinking. That is because they are developing and exploring, their minds are full of energy and they need a release, yes there will be ‘tantrums’ but this is fed from their desire to explore and do things ‘their way’ because they are too young to understand adult reasoning.

And teenagers, the stage of life that can seem most difficult for some parents. Our children are preparing to ‘fly the nest’ they have developed their own identities; they don’t want to be told what to do because they know best! but for parents, this is perhaps the most difficult stage for us. We don’t want to let go but deep down we know they are beginning to make their own way in life but throughout all of this, parents remain steadfast in their support and nurturing of their children, and this is why, on Global Parents Day, children have the opportunity to thank their parents for all they have done for them throughout their lives.
When Jesus was on the road to Emmaus, he met two disciples who remarked;
“Didn’t our hearts burn within us”? When I look at my children and my grandchild, I too have that same burning in my heart.

As parents, we constantly tell our children that we love them, we tell them that we are immensely proud of them and what they have achieved and who they have become and in return they too will develop their own parenting skills.

For more support or spiritual guidance for parents please visit our Marriage and Family Life pages on the Diocesan website.