“Let every
mother realize that she has no greater blessing than the children which have
come to her as a gift from the Almighty; that she has no greater mission than
to rear them in light and truth, in understanding and love; that she will have
no greater happiness than to see them grow into young men and women who respect
principles of virtue, who walk free from the stain of immorality and from the
shame of delinquency.
…It is not
enough simply to provide food and shelter for the physical being. There is an
equal responsibility to provide nourishment and direction to the spirit and the
mind and the heart.
...It may not be easy. It may be fraught with disappointment and
challenge. It will require courage and patience. … Love can make the
difference—love generously given in childhood and reaching through the awkward
years of youth. It will do what money lavished on children will never do.
—And patience, with a bridling of the tongue and self-mastery
over anger. The writer of Proverbs declared, “A soft answer turneth away wrath”
(Prov. 15:1).
—And encouragement that is quick to compliment and slow to
criticize.
These, with prayers, will accomplish wonders. You cannot expect
to do it alone. You need heaven’s help in rearing heaven’s child—your child,
who is also the child of his or her Heavenly Father.
O God, our Eternal Father, bless the parents to teach with love
and patience and encouragement those who are most precious, the children who
have come from Thee, that together they might be safeguarded and directed for
good and, in the process of growth, bring blessings to the world of which they
will be a part, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”
President
Gordon B. Hinkley, “Bring Up A Child In The Way He Should Go”, October 1993
General Conference
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