Children

Some of the most beautiful testimonies given within the Mormon Church, or Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, are given by the children.

The first Sunday of every month the Mormon Church holds what is called 'Fast Sunday.' On this Sunday members eight and older are encouraged to fast, or refrain from eating and drinking, for two whole meals. During our Sunday church meetings we are also encouraged to get up in front of the congregation and bear our testimonies, or those things we know to be true.

I asked my boys, ages 4 and 6, about what their testimonies were about. As is typical for their ages, they gave me a few of the basics.

"I know this Church is true. I love my Heavenly Father and Jesus and I know they love me. I believe in the Holy Ghost. I know families can be together forever. Amen."

What sweet, simple things to know, don't you think? There's so much pleasure in listening to these little ones state truths many people search their entire lives to discover.

As children grow their testimonies grow as well. My nine-year old's testimony holds similarities to those of her brothers. Yet there is also a maturity in her words. When I asked her to bear me her testimony, I was surprised at some of the things she said. I've edited this somewhat, as she has a tendency to be about as wordy as her mother.

"I’d like to bear my testimony. I know this Church is true. I love my family and friends. I love my Church, the temple, and God. I know that Jesus lived.

"I know everything used to be scary to me when I was four, but now I know that God will protect me. I just want you to know that God loves us all. I know that if we make wrong choices Heavenly Father will forgive us. He will provide us with what we need so we won’t starve as long as we’re making right choices.

"Sometimes I’m mean to my brothers, but Heavenly Father forgives me. I also love my grandparents. I love the earth and people that Jesus and Heavenly Father made. Without Jesus coming down to earth to be crucified we wouldn’t be able to go back to Heavenly Father. I know it’s important to read scriptures with my family. I’m glad I have a family.

"I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

For now these children rely heavily upon my own testimony, as well as that of their father and teachers. I realize one day they will have to discover for themselves, through the witness of the Holy Ghost, if these things are true.

For now, however, it is enough that they know through the testimonies of others. After all, we in the Mormon Church have been taught by one revelation to our Prophet Joseph Smith and recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 46:13-14,

"To some it is given by the Holy Ghost to know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that he was crucified for the sons of the world. To others it is given to believe on their words, that they also might have eternal life if they continue faithful."

It takes a lot of faith to believe on the words of others. What better examples of such extraordinary faith than in that of a child.

Teaching moments with a child are precious. The opportunity to have honest, uplifting conversations with them is not as rare as one might think. It all depends on us as parents and teachers being properly aware of when those times occur.

The other day my six-year old son and I were sitting at the table, each eating our own bowl of cereal. After several minutes of his sporadic comments, each further making the inner workings of his train of thoughts even more impossible to unravel, he said something that really caught my attention.

“I wonder what alcohol tastes like.”

I immediately recognized this as a brief chance to discuss something important. While our own family’s exposure to alcohol is quite limited – one of the advantages to living in a largely Mormon (or LDS) family – there is a whole other realm into which he is made to enter every day: school.

He has many friends who are not members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church). Most of these friends have parents, uncles, aunts, grandparents, and maybe even older brothers or sisters who drink alcohol. It’s a normal part of their lives. For them drinking beer would be along the same lines as drinking juice would be for us.

For the next several minutes, over many spoonfuls of cereal, we talked about being curious about what things like alcohol, or cigarettes, or other harmful things might taste like. I was certain to point out that while we’re all apt to be curious, it doesn’t mean we should try them. None of us ever knows what might happen with even one small sample.

For those inexperienced with taking hold of teaching moments, I have a few simple suggestions drawn from my own experiences.

Don’t ever freak out. If you make it a big deal, they will too. Of course there will be times when it’s necessary to make a stern point. Doing or saying anything out of either anger or fright will only frighten your child as well, and they’ll be less likely to come to you next time.

Let them guide the conversation by asking questions. It might be what they’re really talking/asking about isn’t all that difficult to answer. In doing this you can even help direct your child toward answering his/her own question.

Take them seriously. If you laugh them off or treat their inquiries as unimportant, they’ll begin to question their own thoughts and ideas. Don’t forget that just because an answer seems obvious to us, we were once little children and had to learn these things as well.

If you don’t know, or are unprepared to answer a question, tell them so. Suggest they give you time to explore the question, or look for the answer together.

Every child has a questioning mind, and every child loves to learn. It’s important to be certain they’re learning what the Lord wants. Making these teaching moments precious can only help our children see how treasured they are to us.

For further understanding of why we adhere to a certain standard of what we eat and drink see the Word of Wisdom.

When members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, otherwise known as Mormons, are baptized there are special covenants (promises) made at that time between the individual and God. As the likelihood of eight-year olds (Mormons are baptized at eight) to recall those covenants is fairly slim, Heavenly Father provided a way for us to be reminded of these covenants on an almost weekly basis.

In the book of Moroni (contained within the Book of Mormon which is another Testament of Jesus Christ), we can find the sacramental prayers in chapters 4 and 5. Within these prayers are the covenants we make at baptism.

Let’s look at them one at a time.

1. We promise to be willing to take upon us the name of Christ. When we’re willing to do something, we do it because we want to, not because someone tells us to do it. To take upon us the name of Christ means we become His people. As others get to know us, they will discover we are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We are not ashamed of being a member of His church, for we joined it willingly.

2. We promise to always remember Him. As humans we will sometimes forget things. Whether it’s really important or just silly stuff, we will forget. It is important not to forget Jesus, though. We need to remember Him, His example, His teachings, His service, His miracles, His love for every one each and every day of our lives. In doing this we can bless the lives of others just as Jesus blesses our own.

3. We promise to keep His commandments. It’s important to remember there are more to the commandments than ‘Thou shall not steal.’ In fact, it was later taught that we shouldn’t even want to steal. It shouldn’t enter our minds at all. There are many other things the Lord has commanded us, and as members of His church we must study the scriptures (Bible and Book of Mormon) to find these commandments. We should also work hard to keep these commandments. If we break one, we must repent.

If we can keep these covenants Heavenly Father has promised us that He will give us the gift of His spirit to always be with us. That means as we live our lives in the most righteous way possible the Holy Ghost, who was given to us as a gift after we were baptized, will always be around to guide us, help us, and warn us.

Our baptismal covenants are important. I am so grateful my Heavenly Father blessed me with the chance to be reminded of them every week.

The Faith in God booklet begins with a special message from the First Presidency:

“Our Dear Young Friend,

“You are a child of God. He is your Heavenly Father. He loves you and cares about you. He wants you to have faith in Him and pray to Him often – anytime, anywhere.

“He hopes you will keep the covenant you made when you were baptized and follow the teachings and example of Jesus Christ. He has given you the gift of the Holy Ghost to guide you, a family to love and teach you, and Primary leaders and teachers to help you.”

For girls: “You are now preparing for new opportunities in your life. Use these years to develop the qualities that will help you be a righteous young woman.”

For boys: “You are now preparing to receive the Aaronic Priesthood. Use these years to learn about the priesthood and to be worthy and ready to receive it.”

For both: “We encourage you to learn and live the gospel, serve others, and use the talents Heavenly Father has given you to learn and do many good things. Earning the Faith in God Award will help you become the kind of person you would like to be and the person Heavenly Father knows you can become.”

The purposes for fulfilling the Faith in God Award have been outlined above. I’d like to take a moment to look a bit closer at these purposes.

When members of the LDS (Mormon) Church are baptized, they make certain covenants, or promises, with Heavenly Father. These promises can be found in the weekly sacrament prayers as a constant reminder of what we should be doing.

After being baptized those holding the Melchizedek Priesthood place their hands on the new member’s head to seal this baptism, then gives the gift of the Holy Ghost. Members of the LDS Church are encouraged to make goals and accomplishing them in order to help each individual reach his and her potential. To keep this process going teachers and leaders are provided to help.

The girls in the Faith in God program (as well as Young Women program as teens) are encouraged to look for ways to help increase their spirituality, their sense of duty and honor in being a member of this Church, as well as the sacred responsibility of one day becoming a wife and mother.

The boys in the Faith in God program (and subsequent Young Men program as teens) are also encouraged to look for ways to help increase their spirituality, sense of duty and honor in being a member of this Church. They are also encouraged to learn about the sacred responsibility of holding the Aaronic Priesthood, as well as becoming a husband and father.

As the boys and girls accomplish each goal, they will find themselves increasing in knowledge, discovering and using their unique talents to help others, find joy in service, and the wonderful feeling that accompanies a job well done.

Every adult in the world likes to feel good about themselves. Children are no different. Teaching them when they’re young can only make them stronger as teens and then adults, creating generations of strong, hard-working, worthy members of our world.

Just as the young men and young women of the LDS (Mormon) Church have programs designed to help them develop spiritually, mentally, and physically, so do the boys and girls in Primary age 8-11. This program is called ‘Faith in God’.

When a child reaches the age of eight and is baptized, he or she should receive a booklet titled ‘Faith in God for Girls’ or ‘Faith in God for Boys’. The child is asked to work on different activities in various areas:

· Learning and Living the Gospel
· Serving others
· Developing Talents
· Preparing for the Priesthood (for boys)
· Preparing for Young Women (for girls)

Many of the activities to be passed off are the same for both boys and girls. For example, one activity in the Serving Others section is:

· Plan, prepare, and serve a nutritious meal.

There are many activities designed specifically for boys or girls. For girls, one activity is:

· Write in your journal how you can serve the Lord as you stand for truth and righteousness

For boys, one activity to help them prepare to receive the Aaronic Priesthood would be:

· Learn about the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood (see D&C 13, 107:20, and Joseph Smith – History 1:68-73)

An extra benefit to the boys being involved in this program is many of the activities are designed to help them in scouting as well.

One of the most wonderful things about this program is how it teaches these young people to make and accomplish goals. None of them are too difficult, and under the program’s structure both parents and teachers can help the children attain these goals.

An adult woman (or two) will help the girls out by arranging an activity night, twice a month, either in her own home or a home of one of the girls. Where scouting is implemented, those nights can be substituted for activity nights.

The hope is that after the child has turned eleven, and has then completed all of the requirements, she can have the certificate located at the back of the book signed by both the Primary president as well as a bishop/branch president.

Once your child graduates from Primary and continues on into the Young Men and Young Women programs, they will continue to habit of making and accomplishing goals. The hope is that as these children grow they will continue this excellent habit, helping them to become goal-oriented adults.

Two simple words can make someone’s day. As silly as it sounds, those two words are ‘Thank You.’ It can be one of the most beautiful and heart-felt ways to make someone’s day. I’ve written about it before, but I want to encourage everyone to do this just once for Family Home Evening.

A few days beforehand, kneel down with your children to pray specifically about being inspired to think of someone who really needs a thank you. Encourage them to look around at church, think of a school teacher, a grandparent, a friend, or even another family member.

When you gather for FHE, ask each individual who he/she felt inspired to thank.

All you need:

· 3x4 note cards, can be bought in packs of ten or twenty, envelopes are included
· Stamps
· A pen
· Someone to write to

If your child is a little older, and knows how to write, feel free to let them go. It wouldn’t be a bad idea, however, to help them do a first draft on a piece of paper to help with grammar/spelling mistakes. With younger children who don’t know how to write yet, give them a partner (Mom, Dad or older sibling).

If you’re not too experienced with writing thank-you notes, here’s a good outline to follow:

1. Start with their name. Sounds pretty basic, right? This does, however, set the tone for the rest of the note. You can start with ‘Dear’ if it’s someone the writer knows well. If it’s someone from church begin with ‘Sister’ or ‘Brother’, especially if the recipient is older than the writer. It shows respect.

2. “I wanted to write and thank you...” This is typically a good way to begin the body of the note. It immediately brings the point across. You are welcome to put in why you’re feeling grateful, or you can save it for the next paragraph.

3. Here’s where you get to the good stuff. Whether it’s for something specific, or just because of the good person he/she is, now is when you get to gush about why you’re so grateful to have such a wonderful person in your life. Don’t hold back – the more you can fit in the better. There are few things in this world that can turn a frown upside down quicker than words of appreciation.

4. Now it’s time to sum it all up. In one sentence, maybe two if you still have room, express one more time your gratitude.

5. Last, but certainly not least, sign your name. If you’re writing to a family member, it can be just your first name. If it’s outside of the family put in both your first and last name. Feel free to add ‘Sincerely’ or ‘With love’, or try adding a little heart, smiley face, or flower to your signature.

If the card is done by a young child, give them a little space to draw or scribble a little picture, just so they can feel it’s really, truly their own. Let them lick and close the envelope. After you’ve addressed and stamped the note, it’s time to put it in the mailbox.

The great thing about writing thank-you notes is often the blessing goes both ways. Don’t be too surprised to find yourselves being thanked in return.

* Story taken from 1 Samuel Chapter 2, KJV *

Samuel, the prophet of the Old Testament, left his mother and father when he was about three years old. His mother hadn’t been able to have children for many years. She made a promise to the Lord: if he granted her a son, she would hand the boy over to the Lord.

Hannah kept her promise. When Samuel was about three years old Hannah took him to the priest Eli and gave him up. For many years Samuel learned from Eli, and ministered to the Lord.

Eli was growing old and, as happens sometimes even with grownups, wasn’t doing everything he should. He had two sons of his own who had grown up to be wicked men. They stole food from the priests, corrupted some of the sacrifices made to the Lord, and convinced good people to do very wicked things.

A messenger from the Lord came to Eli to tell him of the wickedness of his sons, as well as what would happen to them all because Eli didn’t discipline them. Eli, however, didn’t really listen.

One night after everyone had gone to bed, Samuel heard a voice call out his name. He went into Eli and said, “Here am I.”

Eli told Samuel he had not called out and to go back to bed.

A second time Samuel heard someone say, “Samuel.” Again he thought it was Eli and went in to say, “Here am I.”

Like before Eli told Samuel he had not called out and told the boy to go back to bed.

This happened a third time. Both Samuel and Eli might have been a bit frustrated with each other by this time, yet Samuel still went in and said, “Here am I; for thou didst call me.”

This time Eli realized what was happening. He told Samuel to go back to bed, and if he heard his name called once more he should say, “Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth.”

Samuel went back to bed. This time when he heard his name called, Samuel said, “Speak; for thy servant heareth.”

The Lord then began to tell Samuel many things that had already been told to Eli. This worried Samuel, and he didn’t want to tell Eli any of it. Yet Eli pressed Samuel to tell him every word, and this time Eli really listened.

Grownups aren’t always good at listening to the Spirit of the Lord, but sometimes kids aren’t good at it either. We all need to live righteously to keep the Holy Ghost close to us. If we do this we will be ready to answer, “Speak; for thy servant heareth” when our own name is called.

Samuel showed real bravery in telling Eli the things the Lord said. It’s not always easy to do what the Lord asks, but even as a child Samuel knew it was important.

Though Eli didn’t want to listen the first time around, he really listened when Samuel spoke to him. Instead of becoming angry, Eli recognized what he’d done in letting his sons do wicked things and submitted to the Lord’s will.

* Story taken from 1 Samuel Chapter 1, KJV *

Even before he was born a baby named Samuel was promised to be a servant to the Lord.

His mother, Hannah, couldn’t have any kids and this made her very sad. To be a mother is a wonderful gift and back in the days of Samuel it was considered a curse to be left without children.

Three times a year the men of Israel were supposed to go to the tabernacle, where the Ark of the Covenant was kept, and offer a sacrifice. Every time her husband, Elkanah, would go to offer sacrifice Hannah would join him. She really wanted to kneel and pray at the temple for a son.

One particular time she was feeling really bad. She couldn’t stop crying and didn’t really want to eat. Elkanah was very worried about her. He loved his wife so very much, and wished she would not grieve for children.

The next morning when they woke up, Hannah went to the temple, where Eli the priest sat. She was still feeling pretty bad as she began her prayer. In it Hannah promised the Lord if he would finally grant her a son she would willingly give him back to the Lord to serve him always. As she knelt at the door of the temple her lips mouthed the words of her prayer, but she didn’t say it out loud.

Eli had been watching her and thought she was drunk. He wanted to send her away, but Hannah told him she was not drunk. She was just a very sad woman and was pouring out her soul to the Lord.

“…for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto.” (v. 16)

Eli felt bad for this woman and told her to go in peace, hoping God would grant her whatever it was she asked after. Hannah returned to her husband, and as they traveled home she didn’t feel sad any longer.

After a while Hannah’s prayer was finally answered. She gave birth to a son and called him Samuel. For three years she kept him to nourish him as a young child needs and to teach him in the ways of the Lord. Finally, when Samuel no longer needed nourishment from his mother, the time came to travel to the tabernacle to offer sacrifices. Hannah took Samuel to the house of the Lord and met the priest Eli again.

“And she said, O my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the Lord.” (v. 26)

She told Eli it was a son she prayed for that day, and that she had promised to give her child to the Lord as a way of saying thank you.

She still got to see him at least three times during the year when she and Samuel’s father came to offer sacrifices at the tabernacle. It couldn’t have been easy for Hannah or Samuel to be parted at that time. Yet Hannah had made a promise and it was important to keep it.

Sometimes when we have big things to pray about, it feels like something we should do in holy places like the temple or at church. It’s important to remember if we make a promise to the Lord, we need to keep it.

Because Hannah kept her promise, Samuel grew up to be a great prophet. Hannah also found the blessings didn’t end there. She gave birth to more children: three sons and two daughters.

“Cry unto him in your house, yea, over all your household, both morning, mid-day, and evening.” Alma 34:21

It happens to our family every morning as I pull into a space at the school parking lot. I turn off the car, look behind me, and pick a child to help give our morning family prayer. I started doing this when my youngest boy began preschool, which is held at the same school my older children attend. This means we’ve only been doing it about three months.

I tell you this to let you know it’s never to late to begin creating good habits for your children. We’ve now been doing it long enough to become a part of our morning routine. If I forget, they’ll remind me. Between the four of us we manage to remember … most of the time.

My boys are still young enough to want help saying the prayer, but my oldest feels ready to say the prayer herself. There are times I might have to prod her along, but for the most part she has learned just what to pray about by my own example.

There are countless blessings to be had when we continually strive to say our morning prayers. It can set the tone for the entire day. Stress to your children that they might still have bad things happen, but when we pray first thing in the morning we will find ourselves better able to handle the bad times.

Saying morning prayers with the family helps create a sense of unity. There’s something special about knowing other family members are praying just for you. Take enough time in each prayer to mention every one of your children. For example, my daughter just this morning was concerned about two of her friends who are disagreeing. A part of our prayer was to help her know how to deal with each of these friends.

Morning prayer can help remind your kids of things they should be doing throughout the day: listening to their teacher and showing him/her respect, finishing work before playing, and treating their friends with kindness. These gentle reminders, when done in the boundaries of prayer, will help your children realize just how important these acts are. They are far more likely to recall the right things to during the course of their day.

There are days I’ll forget, and in the rush to get to school the kids might forget as well. One these days all is not lost, for it is always okay to say a quiet prayer.

As my four-year old and I walked towards his school doors he suddenly stopped short and said, “Oh no, Mom, we forgot to say our prayers!” Brother and sister had already gone to line up and so morning family prayer was not meant to happen. I asked if he thought we should say a prayer right there and he agreed. So I crouched down next to him and we said a prayer. I then told him, “If we ever forget to say our prayers together, you can always say a quiet prayer in your heart. You just have to think it.”

The best reason for me to help my family say morning prayers is it acts as a shield. Away from our little home there are so many temptations, some even in the form of good friends, and prayer comforts every one of us as we part ways. My children know they are given some extra strength from the Lord to help make the right choices.

Within the borders of Indiana, where my sister-in-law Melanie grew up, there lies a wooded area right next to her parents’ home, owned by a railroad company. Nestled in the middle of the wood is a large field (she thinks it’s wild corn). If she were to start walking through the woods from her house, she would come out the other side right smack dab in front of her grandparents’ house.

When she and two of her little brothers were young, their mother took them over to their grandparents, who would watch the kids so she could go berry picking. After a while the youngest, who was only two at the time, missed his mother terribly and decided to go looking for her.

No one knows just how long he’d been missing before Grandma realized he was gone. She sent the other brother, who was four, and Melanie, who was six, out to look for him (I imagine she was pretty frantic at the time, and not thinking her best).

The woods were fairly dark, and the two had no real idea of where they were going. It felt like hours later when Melanie’s brother heard whimpering, and they followed it to find their youngest hanging on to a tree for dear life. He had fallen down a hill, though he wasn’t hurt.

The two managed to pull him up, and they began to try and make their way out of the woods. The only problem was they couldn’t remember exactly how they’d gotten in. As time had passed the woods had grown darker, causing everything around them to change, making their surrounding unfamiliar. Frightened and wandering, they began to yell out for their mom, hoping she’d come find them. But she didn’t.

At last the three terrified children knelt down and offered a prayer. After saying, “Amen”, they got back up and began walking again. Eventually the woods began to lighten until they found a break in the trees. To their delight many familiar buildings were in sight, and they used these buildings as a guide to help them get back to their grandparents’ house.

It wasn’t until many years later that Melanie learned her mother’s part in all this. Turns out she had heard her children calling out, and knew instantly they were lost in the woods. She was afraid to call out because she had been picking berries at the edge of the cornfield, and if the children had followed her voice, they would have been lost even worse than in the woods. The cornfield stood taller than her children, even taller than her. If they had gone in, there was no way for them to see her.

Their mother began racing toward their voices in the woods, but she had such a long way to go. At that point she prayed so hard for her children to be guided out of the woods and back to their grandparents, instead of deeper into the woods towards her and possible danger.

Melanie wrote: “I’d always wondered how we made it out of the woods. I didn’t think she’d been able to hear us at all, and thought that our prayer was the reason we made it out. Come to find out, it wasn’t just our prayers that were answered. It was hers too. I can only imagine the pain it must have caused her to know we were lost and she couldn’t physically help us, and the faith she exercised in her prayers.”

Choosing to kneel down in prayer saved the lives of three children that day.

I’ve always been fascinated with journals, but horrible about keeping one myself. Every time the urge to start writing one came over me I’d buy a new diary and fill the first twenty or so pages. After a while my fervor would wane and yet another partially completed journal would be added to the dusty pile.

Years later I’ve found a fantastic way to keep a sort of journal, as well as keeping extended family and friends informed on all that’s going on in our little home. I also discovered one of the biggest reasons my earlier attempts at journaling never really took off: I type faster than I write.

Writing everything out is agonizing for me. In the time it takes me to write one sentence my brain has gone ahead a good two paragraphs. It gets frustrating. Yet when I sit down to the computer my fingertips are allowed to fly over the keyboard fast enough to keep up with most of my thoughts.

Pair this with the brilliant invention of e-mail, and I’m set. Once every month I sit down to the computer and try to relate all that’s gone on with our family over the previous thirty or so days. I might go person by person or, if the month was busy enough, by event. Sometimes the e-mails can be really long, other times it’s just a quick note.

The fact that others out there are reading this limits a lot of what I might say when compared to a private journal. It doesn’t stop me from sharing what I can, however, especially since one day it’ll be a fantastic record of our family life.

E-mails aren’t your only option. Online Blogging is now one of the most popular forms of communication and record keeping (A blog is short for Web Log). You can update your blog daily, weekly, or whenever the mood strikes. Some Blogs are open only to those with the password to maintain privacy, or it can be open to all.

If you’re not much of a typist, try using a voice recorder. I’d recommend doing this in any case, especially for a Family Home Evening one night. It leaves your children with the sound of your voice – something no one thinks about missing until the loved one is gone. Kids of all ages enjoy listening to themselves on tape.

If it’s been a while since you last did a journal entry, and the idea of recalling your entire childhood seems daunting, take a breath. Don’t worry about starting with your own childhood. Begin at this point with your own kids. Children love to hear stories about when they were younger. If you’re anything like me, recalling what was for dinner last week is a stretch. Trying to remember what my almost ten-year old was like when she was a baby would require hypnosis.

I must warn you, however, to keep a hard copy or separate disk of your entries. If your computer crashed, a fire happened, or any other unexpected emergency occurred you’d lose all that hard work. Every few months I transfer everything to a CD and put it in our fireproof safe. If you use a recorder, either ask someone to transcribe the tapes or make copies and place them somewhere else. These can be transferred to CD as well.

Encourage your children to begin their own journals. Moira Tyrell, one of our writers here, was inspired by Elder Eyring’s most recent talk at the October General Conference. Now her family takes about 15 minutes at the end of their family home evening time to write in a journal. This is such a great way to keep the tradition strong.

Try a few different techniques until you find one that works for you. I guarantee you’ll find yourselves keeping a family record your children, and perhaps even grandchildren, will treasure for years.

Whether you’re married or a single parent, whether both parents work out of the home or one of you stays home with the kids, finding time to truly connect with your young ones can be terribly difficult at times.

When children are younger they need your attention, even if it’s just five or ten minutes here and there. Some may just want you in the same room, coming to you for spurts of contact: a quick hug, telling you something funny, reading a short book. Others can be more demanding of your time: if it were possible they’d put you on a leash and drag you everywhere they go.

Giving time to your children isn’t as difficult for stay-at-home moms and dads. But what of those who are required to work outside of the home?

My own husband works two jobs. He leaves the house before 4:30 in the morning and will typically not get home until after 6:30 at night. Every Wednesday night he has church meetings, and makes it home only long enough to take a bath and go. Sundays are also filled with his High Council calling. Because he has been placed over another ward we typically don’t see him until after 4:00. In other words, every minute my kids get with their dad is considered precious.

To help him connect with his kids more, we’ve had to prioritize certain things in our lives, as well as become creative in our attempts to help them all get together.

Saturday is our “Family Day.” My husband is lucky enough to have that day off, and our kids are young enough that they’d rather spend the day with us than with friends. Yes – we are all too aware of just how quickly this will pass. We try to find fun things to do as a family: take a walk along a trail, go up into the mountains, visit grandparents, go out to lunch, play at the park, work in the yard, or watch a movie. It doesn’t really matter, so long as you’re together.

Being together as a family unit is crucial. It’s also important to find one-on-one time with your children. If one of us is cleaning the church, we’ll take one of the kids with us. If I have to run an errand I couldn’t do during the week, I’ll let one of them come with me. Just the other night my husband took our daughter to a Stake Young Womens activity he needed to attend. If he’s doing a work project at a house, he’ll often take our boys.

Being together in a physical sense isn’t always possible. Many parents have jobs that require them to frequently be out of town. It is still possible to connect with your kids, even if you’re not there in person. Back when I was pregnant with our first child, my husband began to call every day around eleven o’clock a.m. As the years went by, and more children joined the household, this particular habit never left.

Now my kids, when they’re not at school, practically race each other to the phone when it rings around that time of day. Talking with Daddy is just as important to them as seeing him in person.

My point in all this is, it’s up to us as parents to find the time to connect with our children. If we don’t make the effort, even when we’re exhausted, we can’t be too surprised to wake up one morning only to find we hardly know them. Kids are kids for too short a time. We don’t have to break the bank to give them what they need. We just have to show them how important they are to us.

I wrote about this as an activity for youth last week, but it’s also a fantastic way to have some fun for a Thanksgiving Family Home Evening. The earlier in the month you do it, the more time your family can reflect on what they’re thankful for.

What you’ll need:

· Construction Paper – if you’re using 8 ½ x 11, use two or three brown sheets, depending on how big you want your trunk. Gather autumn colors for the leaves. I recommend green, red, orange, and yellow. One or two of each should be fine.

· Scissors

· Dark marker

· Leaves to trace

First things first: if you’re not much of an artist, find some leaves. Just one of each kind to use as a pattern will do. Make sure they’re big enough so when you’re ready, your paper leaves will have enough room to write on.

Feel free to do the tracing and cutting out beforehand, especially if your kids are smaller and you feel strangely reluctant to place lethal weapons (scissors) in their tiny hands. Use your leaves as a pattern for the first cut, and then feel free to utilize the first paper leaf as a pattern on the rest of your paper. Cut out lots and lots of leaves. The more leaves you make, the more things your family will have to think up.

With the brown paper find the most artistically gifted person in your house. Tape the brown pieces together and try to ‘form’ a trunk. Seeing as how my abilities to utilize the technical side of the Internet is sorely lacking, I can only encourage you to use nature as an example. Leave it a little wider on the bottom, don’t worry about the main part being too straight, and then branch out on top (Get it? ‘Branch’ out? Oh come on. It was funny!).

Don’t worry too much about the top of the tree as most of it will be covered by the leaves. With your marker draw a few curvy lines up and down the trunk to make it look a little more authentic.

Now for the fun part. Take your leaves and have each person take turns naming some one or some thing they are thankful for. Use up as many of your colorful leaves as your brains will allow for. Encourage them to think of family members, teachers, basics like house, food, etc. Don’t worry if you have some leaves left over. This gives your family the opportunity to go on thinking about what they’re grateful for over the next few weeks.

We love to put our Thankful Tree in the front window. Using clear tape we put up the trunk first, then fill it in with leaves. It’s a fun reminder every time we come home, and in a small way we’re trying to encourage others who might pass by to think about what they’re grateful for.

During the month of November the world celebrates their love of Peanut Butter. I know. Sounds weird, but these days there’s a day to celebrate just about anything. For any mother or father out there who fights the daily battle of finding things to feed even the pickiest of children (I dedicate this to my mother, who had to feed me), peanut butter is a must.

Some of my favorite childhood treats involve peanut butter. Remember ‘Ants on a Log’? Take a piece of celery and slather some peanut butter inside. Top it off with two or three raisins, or (if you don’t like raisins) chocolate chips.

Not a big fan of celery? Try an apple instead. Don’t cut it – just dig out the core until you have a tunnel in the middle. Then fill it up with peanut butter. Sure it’s a bit messy, but the best foods always are.

Today, November 3rd, also happens to be National Sandwich Day. If ever two foods were meant to be together, it was peanut butter and bread. Peanut butter sandwiches are a main staple in my family, and have been since I was a child. The great thing is you can add some delicious things to keep it feeling fresh day after day.

Try lots of different fruits. Peanut butter and bananas are a big favorite at my house. Just cut up a few slices and place them on top of the peanut butter half before topping with the other slice of bread. Don’t stop at bananas. Peel and slice an apple, and top those over your peanut butter. It lends a crispy crunch to your sandwich. One of my boys asked to have strawberry slices on his peanut butter sandwich, and it’s become one of his favorites ever since.

This next idea goes against everything I stand for. It’s not exactly healthy, and to me it sounds beyond gross, but I feel like it should be included for those who are not as picky an eater as I have always been (to my mother’s lament). When my husband was in grade school he had a teacher who told him about her favorite sandwich in the world: peanut butter and Miracle Whip. It has to be Miracle Whip. Mayonnaise simply doesn’t taste the same. I have not tested this one out myself, and probably never will, but all of my children who have had a ‘taste’ of Daddy’s sandwich all seem to love it.

To get the flavor of that last idea out of my head, I’ll leave you with one more. Think of this as a new twist on an old idea. This one also came from my husband, and I know every time we eat this for dinner (we do breakfast for dinner a lot at my house) I had better get out the peanut butter.

Take two pancakes or waffles. On the bottom half spread a good helping of peanut butter. Put the other pancake/waffle back on and top with your favorite syrup or jam.

So join me in celebrating Peanut Butter and Sandwiches.

Two-year old Colby stole into his grandmother’s room one night as she prepared for bed.

“Can I sleep with you, Grandma?” he asked.

Unable to resist his big, brown, puppy-dog eyes Glenda said, “Of course.”

Then Colby asked, “Will you read to me?”

Glenda nodded and said, “Just let me say my prayers first.”

Kneeling down next to her bed, Glenda began to pray. After thirty-seconds or so she heard Colby whisper, “Grandma, say amen.”

She wasn’t done praying yet, so Glenda continued. This time he whispered louder, “Grandma, say amen.”

Still she prayed. Once again, though now in full voice (I imagine he was concerned she might not have heard him the first two times), Colby said, “Say amen, Grandma.”

Much to Colby’s obvious consternation, Glenda wasn’t quite done praying yet. The next thing she knew he was tapping his tiny fist on her head saying, “Knock, knock. Is anybody home? It’s time to say amen!”

This time, stifling giggles, Glenda said ‘amen.’

When it comes to children, praying is something you hurry up and do, as opposed to having a lovely talk with Heavenly Father. For a two-year old it’s unrealistic to expect anything more than thirty seconds.

How can we make praying a more personal experience for our little ones?

Teach them to picture what Heavenly Father might look like. Does He have a beard? What color is His hair, or His eyes? Does He have wrinkles when He smiles? Is He tall? Short? Visualizing can help them form a stronger bond with Him, rather than the idea of talking to a faceless being. Make sure they understand we don’t really know what He looks like, but we can imagine.

Help them understand He hears every single one of his children pray, no matter what time of the day or where they might be. Does He hear us in the middle of the night, when we’ve had a bad dream? Can He hear us way up in the mountains, or when we’re away from home? Let your child think up some crazy places, emphasizing Heavenly Father really can hear their prayers even in the strangest of places.

As these children grow older it is important to help them realize that, much like talking with a trusted friend or adult, they can talk with their Heavenly Father about anything and everything. He can become a confidant, especially when there seems to be no one else who might understand. He can also provide answers or inspiration that we, as mortals, might not think of ourselves.

Let your children know how loved they are by their Heavenly Father – a billion, trillion times more than their earthly fathers and mothers know how to love. Tell them even when we’ve done some pretty bad stuff He still loves us.

Most of all show your children how to pray through your example. Don’t just kneel down for a minute or so. Have a good talk with your Heavenly Father as well.

Praying to our Heavenly Father is one of our most precious gifts. With our help, children can learn to treasure this gift.

The first Article of Faith states: We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.

The Holy Ghost can be a difficult concept to relate to children. It’s easy to describe what the Holy Ghost does for us: acts as a comforter, provides personal revelation, inspires us, warns in times of trouble, gives peace, etc. Yet the idea of the Holy Ghost isn’t always easy to explain in a clear way for children to understand.

My sister-in-law, when acting as Primary president, heard the most fantastic idea to help children understand exactly how the Holy Ghost works with us.

You’ll need two cans of pop, one of them emptied. Though it’s not necessary, you could try putting a paper cutout of a child on the cans.

Hold up the empty can.

When we don’t have the gift of the Holy Ghost, we are easily crushed by temptation. Some of those temptations may be: cheating on a test, stealing, lying to stay out of trouble, hitting a brother or sister, yelling at your mom or dad, etc. (As each temptation is listed, crush the can in your hand.)

Now grab the full can.

When we have been blessed with the gift of the Holy Ghost, we are not easily crushed because the Holy Ghost strengthens us enough to resist temptations. (Try crushing the can.) When we choose the right and obey God’s laws, we can be filled with the Holy Ghost and harder to crush.

You could invite some of the smaller children to try and crush the full can (I wouldn’t recommend the older children…the clever things might find a way to actually make it happen). If you know of some soda-addicts, see if you can use their empty, uncrushed, cans so each of the kids can have one to crush. Rinse them out first, of course.

Be sure to explain there is a difference between having the gift of the Holy Ghost, and having the influence of the Holy Ghost. Everyone can experience the influence from time to time. Only those who have been baptized as members of the LDS (Mormon) Church and are then confirmed by the proper Priesthood holders with the gift of the Holy Ghost can have it’s influence all the time, so long as they constantly try to keep the commandments.

Whether it’s for Family Home Evening, Sharing Time, or a talk on the Holy Ghost at a baptism, try this idea. My sister-in-law said many of the children who’ve seen this think about the Holy Ghost every time they see a can of pop.