Perfect Parenting

Parents have a divine heritage to raise spirit sons and daughters of God.

Being a Parent

I am not going to pretend to know much on this subject, but I am going to share some things that I have heard that seem so vitally important to be shared in today’s world.  Parenting is not an easy thing, especially when parents seem to be given unruly or very trying children.  Lynn G. Robbins said this concerning the subject:

“A sweet and obedient child will enroll a father or mother only in Parenting 101.  If you are blessed with a child who tests your patience to the nth degree, you will be enrolled in Parenting 505.  Rather than wonder what you might have done wrong in the premortal life to be so deserving you might consider the more challenging child a blessing and opportunity to become more godlike yourself.  With which child will your patience, long-suffering, and other Christ-like virtues most likely be tested, developed, and refined?  Could it be possible that you need this child as much as this child needs you?”

The Lord knows our needs and the needs of our children.  He loves us and wants what is best for us.  He will help us as we strive to teach our children in His ways.

Discipline

It is important to discipline children to help them to learn the ways of the Lord.  Not only do we teach by example, but we also teach by word.  Lynn G. Robbins had this to say concerning discipline and teaching children in his talk ‘What Manner of Men and Women Ought Ye to Be?:’

“Because be begets do and is the motive behind do, teaching be will improve behavior more effectively than focusing on do will improve behavior.

When children misbehave, let’s say when they quarrel with each other, we often misdirect our discipline on what they did, or the quarreling we observed.  But the do—their behavior—is only a symptom of the unseen motive in their hearts.  We might ask ourselves, ‘What attributes, if understood by the child, would correct this behavior in the future?  Being patient and forgiving when annoyed?  Loving and being a peacemaker?  Taking personal responsibility for one’s actions and not blaming?’

How do parents teach these attributes to their children?  We will never have greater opportunity to teach and show Christ-like attributes to our children than in the way we discipline them.  Discipline comes from the same root word as disciple and implies patience and teaching on our part.  It should not be done in anger.  We can and should discipline the way that Doctrine and Covenants 121 teaches us:  ‘by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned; by kindness and pure knowledge’ (verses 41-42).  These are all Christ-like be’s that should be a part of who we, as parents and disciples of Christ, are.”

Heavenly Father is there to help us to discipline in love and with Christ-like attributes.  We need only to turn to him in prayer for help.

Teaching Children

I like how Lynn G. Robbins closes his talk.  He says:

“The most important way to teach to be is to be the kind of parents to our children that our Father in Heaven is to us.  He is the one perfect parent, and He has shared with us His parenting manual—the scriptures.”

We have what we need to become good and righteous parents and examples to children.  Surely they are our Father in Heaven’s children as well.  Let us always remember to treat them as sons and daughters of God.