A nine-session course that includes all nine sessions of the parenting and family life series, presented by Katherine Kerman and John Withers, and introduced by Fr Stephen Wang.

These sessions are available for Sycamore Plus subscribers. Follow the link here to subscribe to SycamorePlus.

Being a parent is such a beautiful vocation. Children are such a gift, and they can bring so much joy. But there are many challenges as well. It’s not easy being a parent today. We hope these films will encourage parents and give them food for thought. We’ve simply collected together ideas that other parents have shared with us, based on their experiences of bringing up their own children.

Above all, we hope that the sessions will give parents space to talk, to share their experiences, and to support each other. As always, these Sycamore films have discussion questions built into them, so it is easy to get people talking and build community.

 

(1) BEING A PARENT TODAY [“Film PFL1” in Series: click to watch]

1A Children and Childhood

1B Parenting and Family Life

 

(2) MAKING TIME FOR YOUR CHLDREN [“Film PFL2” in Series: click to watch]

2A Talking and Listening

2B Making Space and Taking Time

 

(3) MEALS AND CELEBRATIONS IN THE FAMILY [“Film PFL3” in Series: click to watch]

3A Meals and Food

3B Activities and Celebrations

 

(4) LIVING YOUR FAITH AS A FAMILY [“Film PFL4” in Series: click to watch]

4A Religion and Faith

4B Church and Sunday Mass

 

(5) PRAYING AS A FAMILY [“Film PFL5” in Series: click to watch]

5A Praying With Your Children

5B Personal Prayer as a Parent

 

(6) DEALING WITH DIFFICULTIES IN FAMILY LIFE [“Film PFL6” in Series: click to watch]

6A When You Face Difficulties and Problems

6B Failure and Forgiveness in the Family

 

(7) MORAL VALUES AND FAMILY LIFE [“Film PFL7” in Series: click to watch]

7A Discipline and Boundaries

7B Chastity and Sex Education

 

(8) SMARTPHONES, SCREENTIME AND SOCIAL MEDIA [“Film PFL8” in Series: click to watch]

8A TV, the Internet and Gaming

8B Smartphones and Social Media

 

(9) EDUCATION, SCHOOL, AND SPECIAL NEEDS [“Film PFL9” in Series: click to watch]

9A Education and School

9B Children and Young People with Special Education Needs and Disabilities

 

Please note that the accompanying “Film Number” (e.g. “Film PFL7”) and Session Number (e.g. “Session PFL7”) refer to the complete list of Sycamore films and not to the order of each module in this course.

You can find the complete list of Sycamore films here and the complete list of Session Guides here. The “Film Number” and “Session Number” is a fixed code number so you know which film is being referred to, even if it appears in different places in different courses.

If you are using Sycamore as a central part of your sacramental preparation and catechesis, see the page here about Sycamore and sacramental preparation.

If you are using the YouCat readings as part of your course, see the page here about using the YouCat.