Lessons for Life

Mesa, Ariz.

It’s not a pretty scene when Martha A. Whitmer and her 14-year-old son, Patrick, fight.

They yell. Doors get slammed. Small incidents rekindle ongoing conflicts. Patrick may feel his mother has let his 15-year-old sister, Madolyn, get away with something, reinforcing his hunch that his mom likes her better. Whitmer may get peeved at Patrick because she thinks he’s spending too much time at the computer.

Sometimes they clash with each other Sunday evenings when Whitmer requires Patrick and Madolyn to go with her to a Roman Catholic...