Kids and Kimball

For those of you who don't know, Jason got accepted to BYU for the winter/spring semester. He is just finishing up a class for the spring semester online. It's a marriage and family class with so many great readings. Tonight we read a talk by President Ezra Taft Benson called "To the Mothers in Zion." I love reading older talks because the prophets were so bold. In this specific talk he reminded us that the most noble and important work we can do is in our own home, raising our children to love God and teaching them to have faith in Jesus Christ. Sometimes I start wondering what my real purpose as a mom is and I go looking for these kinds of talks. I highly encourage you to read this one.
It can be found here: http://emp.byui.edu/WILLIAMSG/Talks/etb_tothemothers.htm

I put Kimball in the title because President Kimball is often quoted in the talk. Of the many wonderful things he shared, one (or should I say ten) has really helped me catch the vision for what God sees as the work of a mother. President Benson told us ten things that are our duty as mothers to our children. I will name just a few of them.

1. Be at the Crossroads. This means be at home when your children are coming and going. They need to know that you are there and that you are concerned with what is going on in their lives. They need your supervision when they come home from school and they need your support when they leave the house to face to world.

2. Read to your children. It's so important to fill your children's minds with the truth of the scriptures and the principles of the classics.

3. Be together at mealtimes. This is the time when you get to know what is going on in their lives. They need to know that they can be completely honest with you and that they can ask you for advice.

4. Pray with them. Study the word of God with them.
5. Teach them.
6. Truly love them.

There are so many things a woman can do in the world today, but the most important thing she can do is be a mother who leads her children to God. No success can compensate for failure in the home. Seriously- go read it!