Father tom allender biography of barack
Cover story: Hard times for families, couples, kids...
| Jesuit Fr. Tom Allender -- NCR Photo/A. Father tom allender biography of barackJones |
Jesuit Fr. Tom Allender has a clear perspective on family issues from the perspective of his ministry to single-parent families.
“One end of the problem is the divorces and their effect,” said Allender.
“At the other end, we’ve gone from being family-centered to being kid-centered.” As for divorce, he said, “adults are finding it’s easier to be a parent than a spouse.”
Continued Allender, whose workshop focused on single-parent families, “We don’t put the emphasis on marriage, on the family unit any more.
We put the emphasis on the kids. Yet the greatest gift the parents could give their kids is their love for each other.”
He described a two-fold scenario.
Even the families that hold firm are stressed, Allender said.
Pressured parents both work. Then on weekends “one pare