Dr. Kelly Morrow
Episode 52
27 JAN 2020
In the lead-up to Super Bowl Sunday, we talk about domestic violence. Plus, in the wake of cheating being a hot topic in MLB news lately, we cover that as well. In addition, there’s a discussion on “participation trophies” and playing time. Plus, there’s practical advice for listeners to take away. All this and more from a professional and spiritual perspective via the Clinical Psychologist at Saint Paul VI Institute in Omaha, Nebraska, where part of her work includes meeting with priests, religious, and lay men & women who are seeking faith-based counseling. With a sports background herself, she also works with seminarians attending the Institute for Priestly Formation and conducts psychological evaluations for individuals interested in entering seminary, the deaconate, or religious communities. She is a member of both the Catholic Psychotherapy Association and the Catholic Medical Association.
Notable guest quotes:
“Whenever we try to cherry pick from the Bible certain verses to justify our behavior, it’s probably not legitimate. It’s probably not actually going to be on target. And, you’re trying to make up excuses for something that actually is probably sinful behavior.”
“There’s ego-oriented athletes… They want to be better than everybody else. They want the glory. They kind of just assume that they’ve got all the tools they need. And they may or may not give any credit to God. It may just be that ‘I’m just that good’.”
“The emphasis should be on what’s best for the kids, not what’s going to make the parents happy and feed their egos and make them proud of their kids.”
“There was a study done by Project Play in 2014 and they asked kids why they play sports… And they say, ‘For fun. It’s fun. That’s why I play.’ … And ‘earning a trophy or medals,’ that went clear down to number 67 in this list of things that make sports fun for kids. So that’s what the kids are telling us, but us parents, we think things very differently.”
“Winning and losing, both teach us life lessons that can be translated into other spheres than athletics.
“With winning, realizing that ‘my abilities come from God.’ So, keeping our ego in check by realizing, ‘Okay, I’m only able to really hit that ball because God’s given me the ability to do that’.”
“Your worth, your value as a human being, comes from God and being God’s son or daughter, not by your performance and your trophies that you achieve playing athletics and sports.”
“Keeping in mind that we are the temple of God and He has created this body and so we need to treat it with respect and care.”
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