Parents put a great deal of effort into caring for their kids. When the time comes, it’s OK to let them return the favor.

My father came home from his service in the Marines in the South Pacific to marry the redheaded girl of his dreams, whom he’d met at St. Francis De Sales in the fifth grade. She’d written to him daily and he’d written her back, making plans for the future they hoped for together. They moved into an apartment over a funeral home in Detroit and he went to mortuary school, working evenings while she began to raise the inevitable family.

Give the kids your attention before they're left to their own electronic devices.

These are just some of the ways that the parish can be a resource to couples experiencing infertility.

• Raise the issue of infertility at the pre-Cana marriage preparation meetings. It would alert couples to the reality that conceiving a baby isn’t always easy, while providing an opportunity to walk through the do’s and don’ts of church teaching.

• Establish a diocesan network of support for infertile couples, regardless of what treatment choices they have made or are considering.

Does the consumer culture affect marriage? Yes and it's devastating. Marriage is becoming a lifestyle with a person I choose because they can meet my needs and we can be happy together.