Thoughts

This last weekend was Stake Conference. At the Saturday night Session, I learned a lot of things, and I want to make note of them so I don't forget them. This is as good a place as any, so here goes.

The theme was along the lines of making the home a gospel-learning place, and using the church programs to re-enforce them, and not the other way around. I learned a new approach to teaching Sunday classes, whether they're Sunday school or relief society. Most s already know much about the gospel. One speaker suggested that class time is the perfect opportunity to discuss how to teach principles to your family. So instead of a teacher's priority being getting through the material on a certain subject, it should be discussing ways parents can teach that principle to their children. With a class full of s, there can be many different ideas that can help parents make the main place of gospel learning be the home. I really liked that idea and want to try it the next time I teach s (whenever that may be.)

They presented ideas for getting more involved in the direct teaching of your youth and primary age children and how to effectively re-enforce at home the principles they learn at church activities. The Stake Young Women's President showed us all the booklets, pamphlets, and helps there are for parents and leaders of youth. I didn't know there were so many. It made me commit to going through the "For the Strength of Youth" pamphlet as a family so our kids (and us as well) understand completely the standards they are expected to live, and why they are important. It really hit me again how important parents are in kids' lives. The Stake President made a good point. He pointed out that the home is not only where kids learn principles of the gospel, but social skills, communication skills, work, any kind of interaction with other people is basically learned in the home. Keeping a home peaceful is important, but if everyone is in their separate rooms watching tv or listening to music, no interaction is going on, and that's not so great. The role of a parent became much clearer to me through the conference. We are responsible for providing for children's needs, but much more importantly, we are responsible for teaching them everything about how to become the kind of person they ought to be. Big responsibility, huh? But I loved learning these things and became more excited to be a parent and to be able to mold my children into faithful men and women of character. I hope this will help me to remember the things I learned and the commitments I made.

Here is a video of Jeffy on his tummy. He's getting pretty mobile, but not in the typical way! He can scoot around now, but he goes backwards, and usually in circles! It's way cute. I recorded it on my phone, so the quality isn't great, but it's something to see! :)