Are Catholic Parents Too Soft on Discipline? w/ Dr. Ray Guarendi | Ep. 101

About this episode

A simple request can turn into ten minutes of negotiating, and suddenly you're the one raising your voice. Dr. Ray Guarendi joins Purposely Catholic to talk about Catholic parenting, clear expectations, and keeping your composure when children push back. Drawing on Drama-Free Discipline, he makes the case for following through early, agreeing on consequences as spouses, and apologizing when you've overreacted. Bedtime, chores, sibling arguments, and the pressure to give a child a smartphone make the questions very familiar.

Raising children also means facing the limits of what we can control. Dr. Ray shares how his family grew through adoption and how he and his wife tried to pass on the faith through prayer, service, and the way they lived. He is candid that faithful parenting offers no guarantee about an adult child's choices. Alongside the practical discipline questions is a harder one: how do you keep loving your children without allowing their decisions to take away your peace?

In this episode

• Following through calmly when children resist discipline
• Working together as spouses and apologizing after an overreaction
• Smartphones, peer pressure, and setting family boundaries
• Dr. Ray's experience raising ten adopted children
• Passing on the faith and facing adult children's choices

With Khalil Hattar, Bobby Fredericksen, and guest Dr. Ray Guarendi.

About the guest

Dr. Ray Guarendi is a clinical psychologist, author, and father of ten adopted children. He has spent more than 40 years working with parents, families, and educators, including in private practice and juvenile-court settings. He presents The Doctor Is In on radio and Living Right With Dr. Ray on EWTN. His books include Drama-Free Discipline, which uses everyday family situations to explain his approach to parental confidence, clear expectations, and follow-through.