About Rebecca Teti

Rebecca Teti Rebecca Teti is married to Dennis and has four children (3 boys, 1 girl) who -- like yours no doubt -- are pious and kind, gorgeous, and can spin flax into gold. A Washington, DC, native, she converted to Catholicism while an undergrad at the U. Dallas, where she double-majored in Political Philosophy & Drama. She holds an MA in Political Theory from Catholic University and pre-children worked a variety of non-profit jobs, including as a pro-life lobbyist and later director of the Center for Family Development in Bethesda, MD. Rebecca now writes from home, with special interest in marriage and family issues, whatever the Pope is doing, retrieving Lego bricks from underfoot, and homemade pie.
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Not Laughing

The above video catches kids in a Washington State high school revealing their stunning ignorance of the most basic civics facts.

Its makers edited it heavily for laughs, so it is not, nor does it intend to be, a fair representation of what da yoots of America have in their heads.

Personally deflated by the defeat of marriage in Maryland yesterday, though, instead of laughing I’ve been thinking... READ MORE


Happy Valentine's Day!

Can’t let the day go by without wishing you all a nice Valentine’s Day, Downton Abbey style.

(Though wasn’t this week’s episode a bit much?)

Find some other D. A. cards here.


An Unfortunate Incident

and now for something completely different

Thanks for your prayers for all of us testifying before the Maryland House of Delegates in defense of marriage yesterday.

It went fine, but it was an all-day ordeal, and I’m still too drained to write about it.

Politics ain’t beanbag, as they say.

How about something funny instead? Like my friend Angela’s poetic stylings about… an unfortunate incident.

An Unfortunate Incident
Angela Colarelli

Oh... READ MORE


Say A Little Prayer

a point of personal privilege

My home state of Maryland is one of several where same-sex marriage is being debated in the legislature.

Call it “no good deed goes unpunished,” but a column I wrote arguing that the debate over marriage is another front in the battle over religious liberty garnered the attention of the Maryland Catholic Conference.

I’ll be one of those testifying in defense of marriage before committees of the Maryland House of Delegates this Friday.

“Committees,” plural, because the process is being manipulated.

A similar measure was defeated in the judiciary committee last year, so this year the bill is being brought before a double committee in an effort to get it voted out for a floor vote.

The legislators are not very kind to marriage defenders, and I will admit I am anxious. (Though, since I’m not the head of any group, I’m not all that likely to draw fire.)

Say a little prayer, therefore, will you—for me and for all the witnesses?

May we be calm and our words gentle, but may they travel like arrows to the hearts of our delegates.

It would be nice if Maryland, founded as a refuge of liberty for Catholics, would refrain from turning the law into a cudgel to beat us all down.


Bringing Up Bebe

Says You: teaching kids patience

First there was the Asian Tiger Mom, now the Superior French Mom.

I confess it took me by surprise that the French have any children to parent.

But a forthcoming book insists it’s so, and the author tells how her French friend helped her change her tone of voice so that her toddler would obey her and play-dates became more enjoyable for parent and child.

Much of what she says strikes me as common... READ MORE


Hurrah for the Paper Plates

Do you ever get absurdly happy about little things?

Today after Mass our kids had a passel of friends over.

This was wonderful: something I love about our little neighborhood is that it’s walkable, and within blocks of our parish, so it’s natural for the neighbor kids to gather at one or another of their homes after Sunday Mass.

Today it was our place, which was fine except for the minor crisis posed by lunch.

We forgot to run the dishwasher last night, and hadn’t had time before church to do the breakfast dishes, so there wasn’t a clean plate in the house.

“Am I really going to have to wash all the dishes before I feed these kids?” I was sighing to myself.

(Job’s lament from today’s readings came to mind:  “Has not man a hard service upon earth, and are not his days like the days of a hireling?”

But soft! What is that glint of red in the pantry?

Leftover paper plates—exactly enough, as it turned out, for the number of diners.

My day was made.


Race for the Cure Drops Planned Parenthood—Updated

Note: see bottom of this post for an update

The Susan G. Komen foundation is cutting ties with Planned Parenthood—at least for now.

The severance has not been announced publicly, and officially at least is not a repudiation of Planned Parenthood.

Komen spokeswoman Leslie Aun said the cutoff results from the charity’s newly adopted criteria barring grants to organizations that are under investigation... READ MORE


Smart Birds

While welcoming children and families from Catholic Action during yesterday’s Angelus, the Pope released two doves as a sign of peace.

One stayed on the sill and the other flew back into the papal apartment.

You can hear him chuckling, and then he tells the kids,  “They want to stay in the Pope’s house!”

So cute!


Would You Wear These Shoes?

time out for a frivolous question!

Is it just me or are more and more shoes designed to make women look like Clydesdales?

Tell me the truth from the fashion perspective (ignore price, comfort, practicality).

Are these attractive?


The Accessible Pope

I sometimes hear from people who say they’d like to read Pope Benedict more, but they’re afraid he’s too difficult for them.

Here’s a bit of useless information to encourage them.

You need only the reading level of a 16-year-old to follow his typical homilies.

With that to spur us, here’s a recent papal document of interest:

In his Message for World Communications Day, His Holiness reflects on... READ MORE


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