3 Essential Lessons Every Parent Should Teach Their Child

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MR says: Parenting is difficult. Being in charge of raising a healthy, well-adjusted, faithful son or daughter seems nearly impossible, especially when we realize we are charged with our children's spiritual education. But, here are three simple truths we can focus on teaching our children that will help all the rest fall into place.

A wise bishop, when calling me to serve as Young Women’s President once, made the following observation: Primary is the time where you learn the gospel, YM/YW is the time where you choose if you want to live the gospel and adulthood is the time where you live with that choice. Certainly there are variations to this pattern. Converts may not even hear about the gospel until their adulthood; people can reject the gospel and then repent. However, his observation is fundamentally sound, and definitely worthy of attention.

Prophets and the scriptures have warned that parents have the opportunity, and also the obligation, to teach our children the gospel. It is our job; it is our calling; it is our mission. If we fail to teach our children to understand the gospel, the sin is upon our heads as parents.

This is an overwhelming commission. Sometimes it’s so overwhelming, couples decide they don’t want the responsibility. Some choose not to have children at all. Some may doubt their own ability to guide the children down a correct path so they just let the world teach the children, or they let the child “do his own thing.”

Granted, raising children is a daunting task and, indeed, it would be downright terrifying in today’s world if we had to come up with our own curriculum. If we had to invent truth, and decide what to teach and what not to teach, I’d lie awake at night with worry. What if I’m wrong? What if what I’m teaching now turns out to be wrong in a few years? What if science discovers something new?

Fortunately, Heavenly Father has provided the perfect curriculum.

Lead image from Meridian Magazine.
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