The Talk and Beyond
In this week\u2019s episode, we sit down with Mr. Michael Moynihan to discuss his new book, The Talk and Beyond.\xa0 In the book, Michael shows parents how they can best communicate to their children God\u2019s plan for human love.\xa0 The book offers insights on how parents can comprehensively form their children to embrace the beauty of marriage.\xa0\xa0
In this episode, we speak with Michael about:\xa0
- The significance of the title: why the beyond part is crucial.\xa0
- What \u201cthe talk\u201d is and how parents can approach it.\xa0
- Why his book is especially relevant in today\u2019s current culture.
- The broader context\u2014both historical and philosophical\u2014for his book\u2019s insights.\xa0
- Some key messages that his book seeks to convey.\xa0
As we hear from Michael in the episode, it is not enough to present God\u2019s plan for human love as a series of negative rules.\xa0 What is needed, rather, is to form men and women who are prepared to embrace the positive adventure that love entails.\xa0 We need to help our children be daring so that, when they are sent into the world, they will be prepared to live out that crusade of manliness which our world needs, and to undo the savage work of those who see man as merely a beast.\xa0
\u201cTo be happy,\u201d wrote St. Josemaria, \u201cwhat you need is not an easy life but a heart which is in love.\u201d\xa0 And, we might add, to have a heart in love is not the work of a single moment, but the task of a whole life.\xa0 Indeed, this is the task of each day: to grow ever deeper in love.\xa0\xa0
Show Highlights
- The meaning of the title\xa0
- The talk: what it is and how to do it
- Why the beyond part is more important\xa0
- How to communicate the beauty of God\u2019s plan for the love between a man and a woman\xa0
- Why both indirect and direct means of formation are necessary\xa0
- Why it is not enough to just have the talk and then move on\xa0
- Importance of the book in today\u2019s culture.\xa0
- How this book relates to Michael\u2019s other projects
- Why a child\u2019s identity ought to be rooted in God
- On the broader context for navigating cultural trends\xa0
- What is the role of educators in these matters?
- How literature, movies, and other forms of entertainment shape our children\u2019s notion of love
- The importance of telling the love story of mom and dad
- How do you prepare kids to enter a wounded world\xa0
- Why we need to set our sights very high
Further Reading\xa0
Irreversible Damage by Abigail Shrier
Decisive Parenting by Michael Moynihan\xa0
The Father and His Family by Michael Moynihan