Mothers and Fathers

“The most important of the Lord’s work you and I will ever do will be within the walls of our own homes.” 

President Harold B Lee

The Family: A Proclamation to the World tells us a lot about Heavenly Father's plan  for mothers, fathers, and families. 

“HUSBAND AND WIFE have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations."  (Paragraph 6) 

Mothers

"Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners." (Paragraph 7)

What does it mean to nurture? Take turns playacting ways to nurture - see if others can guess what you're doing.

Can you write, draw, or playact some things that make your Mom special?

See how many of your mom's responsibilities you can list in 1 minute.  Compare your list to hers.  

Fathers

"By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families." (paragraph 7)

What does it mean to preside? What are necessities?

Can you write, draw, or playact some things that make your Dad special?

What are some ways dads can provide for their families? Can you playact some of your ideas? See if others can guess what you're pretending to do to provide for your family.  Are you a farmer, a fireman, a doctor?

How can you show your parents you're thankful for all they do for you? What about a special Parents' Day? Can you make a yummy breakfast for them? Do some chores for them when they aren't looking? Help your little brothers or sister? Sing happy songs? Put on a talent show? 


For older children, from the New Era:
20 Ways to Honor Mom and Dad

President James E. Faust taught:

"Being a father or a mother is not only a great challenge, it is a divine calling. It is an effort requiring consecration. President David O. McKay stated that being parents is “the greatest trust that has been given to human beings.” (The Responsibility of Parents to Their Children, pamphlet, Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, n.d., p. 1.)" (The Greatest Challenge in the World -- Good Parenting," Ensign, November 1990.)

"John testified, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” (3 Jn. 1:4.) In my opinion, the teaching, rearing, and training of children requires more intelligence, intuitive understanding, humility, strength, wisdom, spirituality, perseverance, and hard work than any other challenge we might have in life." (The Greatest Challenge in the World -- Good Parenting," Ensign, November 1990.)

Some insights about mothers and fathers from my textbook, "Successful Marriages and Families: Proclamation Principles and Research Perspectives," Edited by Alan J. Hawkins David C. Dollahite Thomas W. Draper. 2016.

"These findings led researchers to conclude that the way a mother interacts with her child, her maternal sensitivity, is the strongest, most consistent predictor of her child’s cognitive, social, and emotional development (NICHD, 2003)" (Hawkins, Dollahite, and Draper, 2016, p132)

" As a husband “endows” his wife with motherhood, he does all that he can to enable her work as a mother to flourish, because she is the central nurturer of their greatest treasure." (Hawkins, Dollahite, and Draper, 2016, p135)

"There is no work in which the Lord takes greater interest than in the nurturing and rearing of our children. Because of that, we can be assured that He will strengthen mothers in their holy calling. Truly, motherhood places her who honors its holy work next to the angels, for nothing could be of greater significance to God than the nurturing of His little ones—His precious children." (Hawkins, Dollahite, and Draper, 2016, p137)

"President Howard W. Hunter taught that a father’s “leadership of the family is [his] most important and sacred responsibility” and the “family is the most important unit in time and in eternity and, as such, transcends every other interest in life” (1994, p. 50)." (Hawkins, Dollahite, and Draper, 2016, p141)

"Fatherhood can be conceptualized as a parental stewardship that links generations and is defined by those caring activities that nurture family relationships, foster growth, and enable the transmission of values between generations." (Hawkins, Dollahite, and Draper, 2016, p141)

"Abraham Heschel (1975), a leading Jewish philosopher, identified the father as a powerful spiritual figure in the family circle with a moral responsibility to teach and care for his children. He suggested that fathers are meant to be teachers and holy figures in the lives of their children." (Hawkins, Dollahite, and Draper, 2016, p141)

"The quality of the father–child relationship makes a lasting difference for children beginning in the earliest years (Parke, 1996). Fathers who involve themselves and connect with young children facilitate greater cognitive development, increased social competence, and empathy toward oth-ers (Lamb, 1997). Research has further indicated that “it is not his mere presence, per se, but his connection to children that is pivotal,” and that “strong connections can have beneficial effects” while “poor connections can have adverse effects” (Brotherson, Yamamoto, & Acock, 2003, p. 208)." (Hawkins, Dollahite, and Draper, 2016, p143)