To Be Inspired

 As a mother of 4 children, 3 of them boys, I am often trying to find ways to fill up their hearts, minds and souls with positive words, music and images.  It is very hard in today’s world to try to beat out the loud and exciting images that clamor for one’s attention.  I worry constantly about how the adversary works to subvert the foundation of the family and more so, to bring young men and young women farther and farther away from their standards of truth and honesty.  It must be so hard to be a young and impressionable child of God in today’s society. 

As such, I thought that instead of simply having conversations with my children daily – during our errands in the car, at the dinner table, in the office, and having family home evening lessons about the power of choosing the right, I would subtly influence them with positive words and images.  They’ll never know what hit ‘em until they need it!

For my sons, I found this quote from President Gordon B. Hinckley.  I am putting a little artistic and graphic spin on it and then I will send it to the printer to print in a large 11x14 poster.  Then I will frame it and put it in their bathroom.  We have a unique set up in our house.  All the boys live upstairs.  My sons are 15, almost 14 and 10.  They are all in one room and they share a bathroom, a kitchen and a dressing room.  Some other time I’ll talk about getting them to clean it – but for now, this is how I decided to help them learn to live with each other and collaborate more.  They will see this in the bathroom as they take care of their needs and/or get ready each day.  As a matter of fact, I will have a second one printed to go in the downstairs bathroom for them, as well.  

This next quote is going to be sent to the printer as well and will be printed much larger.  I’m still not sure of the size, but it will go on the wall that greets them as they walk down the stairs each morning.  They will be able to see it for the first 10 steps of their decent.  I am hoping it will subtly plant inside of their hearts and minds they way that they should be in their actions and in their lives.

Finally, this is a quote I found for my daughter.  She is 28 months old.  I know all to0 well how the world challenges and objectifies our young women.  I never want my daughter to question her divine inheritance and her good worth.  This will go in her room.  While she cannot read it yet, she soon will and I hope it will fill her up and she will know that she came from goodly parents and that she is an amazing daughter of God!

There is no greater call than to be that of a parent – or one who is called with a stewardship over the precious children of God.  This calling is not to be taken lightly and in all things, we – as parents – need to find ways to provide our children with the knowledge that they are amazing and blessed and that they have a purpose greater than they can imagine.  I am not a perfect mother.  I am not even an almost-good-enough mother.  I make mistakes daily and on some days, hourly.  But I love my kids.  They are entwined in my heart and I would rather spend my time here on this earth with them and my husband, then with any other person or activity.  They are my greatest accomplishment and I think that they are amazing!