“Train the young in the way they should go; even when old, they will not swerve from it” (Proverbs 22:6).

My kids and I have a “crew meeting” every morning at nine. We cover the plan for the day and the rest of the week to make sure everyone is on the same page. I answer any questions at the tail end of our meeting, and then they’re off! The crew meeting affords me a captive audience, and, not long after its establishment, I realized I was sitting on a prime opportunity to cover more than the day’s logistics.

Aside from our obligations and schedule, the kids and I go over a vast array of topics from why St. Joseph is a big deal to what their vocations are, plus a peppering in of human behavior, struggles with mental illness, and how the Lord upholds us with grace to do everything He asks. Teaching them this way is fun, and we all look forward to our real conversations.

But we parents, who were each wide- eyed children not too long ago, know deeply that “more is caught than taught.” I do my best to tell my children what I know and continue to learn, but, the truth is, my behavior informs them more than any kitchen table lesson. It’s a reality that stares me in the face every time my children

act like me. For better or worse, my husband and I give examples of how to live that our children are likely to mimic.

After 17 years of family life, the behavior I most want my children to have is radical trust in the Lord. Did any of us have a clue what joys and trials awaited in adulthood? Nothing but trusting in God’s intricate plan for my life could have prepared me for any of it, but confidence in Jesus would have spared me the anxiety of thinking I alone had to solve any and all difficulties that came my way.

Every Christian shares the same primary vocation: being a son or daughter of God. Even now, with all the responsibilities we bear, this remains the most important— and perhaps most forgotten—experience of our souls. When my kids were babies, they didn’t worry about paying the mortgage or making breakfast or shopping for clothes. They received what we gave them and learned to count on it. So it should be with us in relation to the Father.

At seven months old, my first baby was big enough for my husband, Andrew, to toss around playfully. Andrew’s large hands made Liam feel safe while he let out full baby-belly laughs, both of them beaming at each other. It occurred to me that Liam laughed because he knew and trusted Andrew. It didn’t enter his mind that he could fall or get hurt. His focus was totally on his father’s face. Andrew’s capable hands and happy grin gave Liam the reassurance to go ahead and enjoy the ride.

How much more trustworthy is our heavenly Father? Our Father moves and works for our good in every detail. As adults, we’re so accustomed to being depended on that the concept of depending entirely on the Lord can feel counterintuitive. We tend to treat God as a safety net in case our plans fall through. Being childlike is not only the key to entering the kingdom of God, but also miraculously yields confidence and joy regardless of circumstance. Knowing the way I pray, think, and act right now will impact my kids decades into the future. I want so much to set the example of total trust in God now, with the hope that, as adults, they will remain first and foremost His children.

Katie Sciba is a national speaker and Catholic Press Award-winning columnist. She and her husband Andrew were married in 2008, and are blessed with seven children.

This article appeared in the August 2025 edition of The Catholic Telegraph Magazine. For your complimentary subscription, click here.