Catholic Review of: Please Don't Drink The Holy Water!

If you have ever thought of homeschooling your kids but were afraid to, you should read this book.  It will dispel all the mythical fears you have and replace them with real fears.  I say that with all optimism.  Susie Lloyd lays out the challenges of a Catholic homeschooling family of 5 daughters with satirical wit and motherly earnest.

Gone is the notion of an isolated, backwards, Amish-like microcosm.  So too is the hope of a blissful garden full of Little Flowers.  In their place is the flesh and blood story of two serious Catholics trying to get to Heaven and bring their brood with them.  Ever-present are the warnings of ‘They’ and the ‘Real World’ about how not conforming to the flow of modern society is going to irreparably damage their children.  Challenges arise as the Lloyds decide how to deal with Halloween, television, music, buying from immoral corporations, and a whole host of problems that any astute Catholic parents has had to deal with at some point.

If you gave this book to the average American wife with no context, it would probably be called a warning against having a large family, or at least against being a serious Catholic.  It would make a case against being a homemaker and definitely against homeschooling.  That is because in today’s society of 2.1 children per woman (at best), smart phones, 3D plasma screens, and every sort of personal luxury imaginable, the concept of self sacrifice as a good, let alone a higher good than all of these other passing things.

This book shows how the sacrificial life of marriage can be a real pain, and that the fruits of those pains are the true joy of family and the love of God.  The wonderful wit and insight of Susie Lloyd makes it a fun read that any foot soldier in the culture war will quickly identify with and will find a comfort in the solidarity with their sister in Christ. 

It’s a quick and easy read with the side benefit of being a handheld support group for being a Catholic Parent in the modern age.

You can purchase this book here.