What they need

Somedays I feel insufficient as a mother. Lately I have worried about things like colors, numbers, letters, physical skills, and other talents that Emma should be developing. It can be really overwhelming to think of the many things I need to teach her.

Then the other night I read The Family: A Proclamation to the World again. The phrase that really stood out to me was: "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."

I could dissect this and talk about all of the things I love in there, like the words "sacred" and "duty", but I love that when I read that, I feel like my role begins with those things, and that all of the little things I worry about will fall into place when I focus on these first.

My favorite example of this is my oldest brother, who truly disliked reading, and so struggled to learn how. My parents tried so hard to change his mind, and worried about him a lot. Then, when he was in second grade, they got very serious about reading scriptures each day as a family. Before they knew it, he could read! And they raised a family of nerds who all love to read more than anything else.:) And all they did was make a priority adjustment in their lives.

I missed several conference talks this weekend so I've been listening to them online as I can. I was cleaning the kitchen and had one going the other morning and looked over to see Emma mesmerized by President Monson as she thumbed through the Gospel Principles book that was left on the kitchen table. She truly makes me a better person everyday.