This month’s visiting teaching message is about parenthood and that it is a sacred duty. Not everyone see’s parenthood as sacred. There are parents that abuse their children, neglect them, ignore them, call them names, or think it’s more important to be their friend instead of their parent.
President Monson said:
“Give your child a compliment and a hug; say, ‘I love you’ more; always express your thanks. Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved.”
This quote has been hitting me hard the last week or so as I’ve been thinking about what to write. We just spent the last three months living with my parents while our house was being built and just moved in this past weekend. One of the new rules I decided to give my three year old son is to make his bed every morning. The very first morning in our new house, my son comes in and wakes me up and says in an excited voice… “Mom! I made my bed!” Now, I could have been angry. I had been up twice with my daughter that night and was actually sleeping on her floor when he came in. But I didn’t. Sleepily, and in as an excited tone as I could muster, I told him how proud I was of him and that he did a good job!
We need to do as President Monson has said. It is vital for our children to understand what it means and what it feels like to give and get compliments and hugs. It’s important for them to feel and know and be told that they are loved. They are little blessings that we are given to help mold and teach.
The printable this month is a quote from Sister Tanner…
Our Father in Heaven exemplifies the pattern we should follow. He loves us, teaches us, is patient with us, and entrusts us with our agency. …Sometimes discipline, which means ‘to teach’, is confused with criticism. Children—as well as people of all ages—improve behavior from love and encouragement more than from fault-finding.”
Let us strive to remember that we are molding and shaping the future generation. Let’s help them learn more about love by showing them how important they are!
September 2016 Visiting Teaching Message: Parenthood Is a Sacred Duty
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Megan is a wife, mother, and daughter of Heavenly Father who loves cooking, working out, photography and being a stay-at-home-mom!