The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God's commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife. We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God's eternal plan.
As many of you know, I homeschool my children. This is our third year. We have enjoyed it beyond measure, as I am sure you have gleaned just a little if you have read a few posts. One of the things that has been my greatest blessing, is the opportunity to teach my children about the law of chastity.
WHAT?!
Yes, I really said that.
We really love the fact that our children can come to us, we can teach them and we don't have to re-teach things that have been "learned" in a setting that is less than holy.
This is not to say it is bad any other way, this is just a blessing we have had as we homeschool our children.
Something that is this sacred is something I want to teach my children.
The church has put out a guideline that we are following (in a basic sense) to teach children about the sacred holyness of their bodies as well. (find it here) I have loved reading the inspired words as I teach my children some of the truths.
President David O. McKay said: "The home is the best place in the world to teach the child self-restraint, to give him happiness in self-control, and respect for the rights of others.
I feel that the first contribution of the home to the happiness of the child is to impress him with the fact that there are bounds beyond which he cannot go with safety; second, to teach him to be considerate of the rights of others; third, to have him feel that home is a place where confidences and consolations are exchanged; and fourth, to have him cherish the thought that home is a haven of seclusion and rest from the worries and perplexities of life” (“Home … and the Strength of Youth,” Improvement Era, Aug. 1959, p. 583).
One thing the video (above) says is that we need to take time to study out and then pray about our standards. Then once we set them, we need to never change our minds. To never deviate from the path we have set for ourselves.
Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin taught: "One of the most pervasive deceptions in recent years is the notion that immorality is normal and acceptable and has no negative consequences. In truth, immorality is the underlying cause of much suffering and many other problems that are prevalent today, including rampant disease, abortion, broken families, families without fathers, and mothers who themselves are children. (Ensign, Nov. 1994)
I find it interesting to think about the fact that immorality is the underlying cause of so many heartaches in our society. If we only teach our children to have standards that are high and follow the standards set out in the "For the Strength of Youth" booklet, we can possibly save some of our youth the heartache that follows.
I know that children are a blessing. I have three amazing young men of my own. Let me "introduce" you:
"K" is 12. He is my studious, piano playin, old soul.
"G" is 10. He is my art loving, Calvin and Hobbes reading, children and senior lovin young man.
"M" is my youngest. He is my rowdy, silly, rough and tumble, cuddling little man.
If I had done even a few things differently, I am not sure if I would be blessed to be their mother. And I am blessed.
Teaching this topic is sometimes a hard thing to teach, but I do know that it is so very worthwhile.
Families are a wonderful blessing. I am so very thankful for mine.
I am Jaime. If you are here, welcome. This is my blog. :) Just a little about me: I am a gardening, crafting, photography loving, homeschooling, kitchen "arts" lovin, mother and wife. My kids are my joy, I have three boys who keep me busy. My hubby is HOT, and my best friend. (and contrary to his belief, "DH" stand for DEAR, not DUMB husband!) Thank you for joining us for this amazing celebration. Family is my favorite topic and somehow I always end up back to that one thing that I love so much.
Comment (or email me I would love to hear from you), grab a button, spread the word. Join us in our Celebration of the Family. There are three more amazing blogs to check out today:
Cocoa at Chocolate on my Cranium
Jocelyn at We Talk of Christ, We Rejoice in Christ
Shannon at The Redheaded Hostess
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And today's prize is...
"Teach your children to love the hymns. Sing them on the Sabbath, in home evening, during scripture study, at prayer time. Sing as you work, as you play, and as you travel together. Sing hymns as lullabies to build faith and testimony in your young ones." (First Presidency Preface, Hymns, 1985, x)
The Purple Cow Bookstore is sponsoring today’s prize of a Hardbound LDS Hymnbook engraved with your family name and one of Cocoa’s favorite songbooks from childhood, Let’s Sing Together.
The Purple Cow Bookstore an independent children's bookstore located west of the Oquirrh Mountains in Tooele, Utah. They help you bring children and books together!
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22 comments:
Thanks for the link to the Church's guidebook -- perfect!
I agree - once our standards are set, we need never change our minds. I found that a great benefit of YWs. You set standards before confronted with the choices.
Thanks for sharing a great message and some great resources to present this message to my own children. :)
Thank-you for the link!
My children are young but I desperately want to homeschool when it comes time for it, and my reasoning coincides with yours. Such great quotes you posted; very thought-provoking. Thank you!
Thanks for the great post and links! :-)
I love a Parent's Guide. I didn't know it was online. So excited. Thanks for sharing!
I love this post, thank you! The Church has so many awesome resources for us to teach our children (and remind ourselves) correct principles. Thanks for sharing! :)
Great thoughts on a great subject. We taught our children about procreation and used a homemade book that I had put together. This was many years ago. My children are married and now tackling the subject with my grandchidren.
Blessings to you for sharing your thoughts on a very important subject for our day.
Thank you so much for the thoughts and the churchs guidebook and the viedo.
Very well-put, Jaime!
Great quote and link, thank you!
fantastic!!! I LOVE being a mom and feel so blessed, that is of course when they aren't driving me crazy! Thankfully, I feel blessed more than they drive me crazy!
Thank you for the great links, and the positive discussion of such a sacred subject.
let's hear for mother's of boys!!! (I have 4)
Thank all of you for your kind words and encouragement. This was a hard post for me to write "politcally correct" so I appreciate all of your comments and support.
Great insights. Thanks!
I love the link to the Parent's Guide...thanks! :)
thank you for the link to the guide book!!
What handsome young men you have! ;)
dido the above comments.
I watched the video. Very clear. No misunderstanding and even pictures. I know that the church gives guidelines for me and is a blessing that I give thanks for everyday. I love those little boys that you homeschool and am thankful that they are taught these truths by loving parents. You and Perry. Love me
I didn't realize that the parent's guide was online. Very cool!
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