I'm a cradle Catholic raised post VII. It's only in the last 10 years that I began to realize what I had missed. The past year I searched my area and went to a different church almost every weekend until I found one that was trying to be more traditional. I can't stand being out of town on Sundays now.
I homeschool my kids with a very Catholic curriculum (Seton) and they are memorizing catechism questions/answers. I've found that I am learning right along with them on some things. They are only 5 and 7.
I took my son out of one parish Reconciliation program because it was so horrible. We're working with our parish priest and deacon individually to make sure he is ready for first confession and first communion. It's an exciting year!
Thanks for posting this article. So many of us feel the same way!
I did a bit of the same thing. The cathedral here at least says the Novus Ordo correctly and has many of the elements I remember as a little kid. My home parish, at the time, had a pastor who didn't really believe in VatII and resisted a lot of the changes, so we at least had some tradition, but not nearly enough.
I realized a few years ago how much was lost and among my own family many arguments fall on deaf ears. Friends, too. They think I'm hopelessly weird and out of date.