Dear Holy Cross Parents and Carers,

I have two children, Edward who 17 years old and in Year 12 at St Andrew’s Catholic College, and Elizabeth who is 15 and in Year 10 at St Monica’s College.

In their formative years, I subjected my children (as I do to my Holy Cross family) to my obsession with LITERACY, NUMERACY, WELLBEING and SPARK. Whilst literacy, numeracy and wellbeing are relatively straightforward to nurture, SPARK can be more elusive. Fortunately, through a process of elimination, I discovered that both of my children have a passion for the Performing Arts, becoming involved in theatre, music, dance, and singing.

Over the past fifteen years, I have experienced the highs and lows of the theatrical world, from front stage to backstage, nose-in-scripts to ears-in-music, and everything in between. One day, whilst reading a script, I came across a song from the musical Bye Bye Birdie that resonated with me. The song, entitled "Kids," includes the following chorus:

This humorous take on generational differences reminds us that no generation of children has ever been perfect. In St Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus tells His listeners, “You must be perfect – just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” At first glance, this seems like an impossible standard. However, Jesus was teaching about anger, revenge, and loving your enemy, showing that perfection comes through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “There is a crack in everything that God has made.”

I believe it is through these cracks that we learn to see the needs of others, feel their pain, and appreciate the human capacity for honesty and forgiveness. As Christians, we are called to be complete in the generosity of our love, not perfect.

Neuroscience tells us that our childhood experiences are stored in our bodies. As parents, we must endeavour to address our own issues and heal any lingering pain from our childhood to avoid passing emotional burdens onto our children. By acknowledging our imperfections, we can prevent our children from feeling defective when our love is not perfect.

Life is filled with adversity, but through our conversations and examples, our children will learn that difficulties can be overcome. We should strive to live fully, embracing each moment, and teaching our children to do the same. By doing so, we can help them grow into healthy, well-rounded adults….even if they do find themselves performing on a stage.

Fondest regards,