PARENTS > FIRST RECONCILIATION

Session 4: At Home This Week

Preparing to Go to Confession (even if it's been a while)
Here's a short video addressing how you can best prepare for receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation, even if it's been a while.  It was made by our friends at Busted Halo.

This video will probably be more helpful to you than to your child.

Review

I Disobey the Rules Sometimes

In this session, we focused on how we sometimes sin and hurt ourselves and others.  
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Review the lesson with your child.  Look through the handouts with your child, asking what he or she remembers or has questions about.

Penance

Promises for the Future

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Fill in the table on the At Home This Week page to help your child understand what it means to make a promise to do better after we sin.

Parenting Tip

Beyond Saying Sorry

Even beyond the context of Reconciliation, the idea of penance is a helpful practice to encourage.  Here's a quote from How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber & Elaine Mazlish.
Sometimes children use "I'm sorry" as a way of placating an angry parent. They're quick to apologize and just as quick to repeat their misbehavior. It's important for these youngsters to realize that if they're genuinely sorry, their feelings of remorse should be translated into action. The repeat "offender" can be told any of the following:

"Sorry means behaving differently."

"Sorry means making changes."

"I'm glad to hear you're sorry. That's the first step. The second step is to ask yourself what can be done about it."