A Lesson & A Thought

Have you ever wondered if your kids really like each other? Some days with all the fighting and whining, it has crossed my mind. Today, they showed me that they don't just like each other, they love each other. Max was napping, Sam was in quiet time, Evelyn and I were watching the 2nd session of General Conference. All of a sudden there was a crash from Sam and Evelyn's room. I go in to find Sam underneath the dresser. Half of him anyway. I pick up the dresser and Evelyn comes running in to see what the matter is. When she sees her brother under the dresser, she falls on him in a huge embrace. The compassion was overwhelmingly there, but in true Evelyn fashion, there was a little drama too. It touched me to see how concerned she was for him. I'm sure you are wondering why I would be so touched by this. She should be concerned. There was another instance not too long ago where he got hurt. She came to see what the matter was. Thinking I would get the kind of reaction I got from today's events, instead she says, "I am so frustrated! I can't hear my show with him crying!" The t.v. was turned off immediately... drama, drama. Back to Sam, he was fine, just a bloody lip. When he had finally calmed down enough to tell me what had happened, he said he was opening all the drawers (why, I don't know) and the dresser fell over. Unfortunately this has happened before, to Evelyn. You'd think we would have got rid of the darn thing after the first time. It will be gone tomorrow, I promise. I have also wondered if my kids ever really listen to the things we try and teach them. Not the every day things, but the other things. After Conference was over, again they proved they can and do listen. Instead of playing with toys or looking at books, they started playing Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus. They had blankets over their heads and where calling each other by name. At first Max was Joseph and Sam was baby Jesus. I didn't realize this until Sam starting crawling down the hall. I asked Evelyn if he was a dog now and she said, "No he's a baby, he's crawling." Why the baby that crawls already at our house couldn't fill that roll, I don't know. The boys eventually switched rolls, not that Max knew he was a party to any of it, and on they went. I leave you with this thought...

"Children are open to gospel truths more than at any other time, and protected childhood is
literally a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to teach and strengthen children to choose the right.

"It's easy to know what to teach. The scriptures and our prophets are clear about what to
teach our children. Nephi summarizes it in this verse, 'And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ,
we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ . . . that our children may know to what source they
may look for a remission of their sins' (2 Nephi 25:26).

"Knowing that we teach of Christ and His gospel, how do we do it? Begin by following the counsel
of our prophets and making time in our homes for family prayer, scripture study, and family
home evening. Have we heard that counsel so often that it seems too simple? Or are we so busy
that adding one more thing feels too complex? I testify that even when our family worship seems
less than effective, obedience alone invites the blessings of the Lord."

Margaret S. Lifferth, "Behold Your Little Ones," Ensign, Nov. 2006