Posts by Brenda Booth5

A plumber pulls up in his Ford—or maybe a Mercedes, if you want to get fancy—and rings the bell. The homeowner answers, glasses perched on his nose, clutching a book, with a whole stack of literature scattered across his desk. Meanwhile, in the bathroom, there’s a pipe hissing away and a literal flood on the floor.
Within an hour, they've got it all sorted out: the leak is plugged, and the plumber's daughter is set to get some tutoring sessions.

Maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but looking back, everything eventually settles into place... It's all relative, really. All that talk about high school kids being a "superior class"... honestly, it's just prejudice and a total waste of energy.

Whether they're headed for prep school or trade school, these kids are going to grow up to be serious adults... and perhaps even future business partners one day.

Just my two cents from the perspective of an old man...

What should you actually buy when you're a godparent at a Confirmation?

It’s honestly one of those questions that hits a nerve within the American Catholic community. I don't mean to step on any toes because I consider myself a believer too, but when it comes to First Communion, Confirmation, or even weddings, we have really lost our way. Don't get me wrong, gifts are fine, but lately, people are acting like oil tycoons from Kuwait.

I have one godchild who just finished their ceremony and another who hasn't yet, but just thinking about both makes me feel uneasy. Why? Because you can't even tell anyone—not the prospective godparents, not even the kids themselves—that these ridiculous gifts shouldn't be the main event. But they are. Everyone ends up in this weird competition, racing to see who can outdo the other... goodness knows how.

Look, I’m all for making sure the kid looks nice and gets a thoughtful little gift, but I am totally against the idea that a suit or a dress has to be designer label, or that the gift value needs to hit those four-digit numbers.

But, as I said, that mindset just doesn't fly anymore. I might just be tilting at windmills here...

Anyway, I was a godmother once and bought the girl a bracelet for under a thousand bucks. They didn't kick me out of the family or stop calling me, so I'm assuming they didn't have much to complain about.