Parenting Notes

Lynn and I are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints, more commonly known to the world as the Mormons. Lynn and I have not been blessed in our home life with the pitter patter of little feet on our linoleum floors; however, we are encompassed and surrounded by extraordinary nieces, nephews and beautiful young men and women whom we cherish and feel extremely close to and love very much.

We have been discussing in our church meetings some of the challenges parents have right now as they are raising children to become influential citizens and meaningful adults. The Bishop in our ward provided us with a list that he and his wife came up with on ways he which we could be better parents, more efficient aunts, uncles, grandparents, neighbors, etc., to those children and the youth in our lives. It is my hope that our Bishop's list can be as beneficial to you as it was to us.

1. DO NOT SAY ANYTHING THAT YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO FOLLOW THROUGH WITH.



2. PROVIDE A 2-MINUTE WARNING.



3. THERE ARE ONLY THREE SITUATIONS FOR LISTENING TO CHILDREN WHINE, THEY ARE 'HUNGRY', 'TIRED', AND 'SICK'.



4. LEARN TO SAY NO.



5. IF IT IS IMPORTANT TO YOUR CHILD, IT IS THEREFORE IMPORTANT TO YOU.



6. SHOW PHYSICAL LOVE.



7. APOLOGIZE SINCERELY.



8. ADMIT MISTAKES TO CHILDREN.



9. ALLOW CHILDREN TO MAKE MISTAKES AND TO ACCEPT THE CONSEQUENCES.



10. SET EXPECTATIONS FOR STANDARDS AND RENEW THEM OFTEN.



11. LET CHILDREN HAVE RESPONSIBILITY (AND CONSEQUENCES).



12. LET CHILDREN TEACH EACH OTHER.



13. PROVIDE YOUR CHILD WITH A HOBBY/SPORT THAT CONSUMES THEM (ANYTHING THAT IS LAWFUL AND ETHICAL), BUT DO NOT OVERSCHEDULE (FOCUS ON THE ACTIVITY).



14. TEACH CHILDREN HOW TO WORK (EARN EXTRA MONEY FOR EXTRA EFFORT).



15. 10-MINUTE CLEAN RULE - SET EXPECTATION FOR COMPLETION.



16. CONSISTENCY AND TRADITIONS (FAMILY HOME EVENING, FAMILY COUNSEL).



17. HAVE THEM BE ANXIOUSLY ENGAGED.



18. SCRIPTURE STUDY AND DISCUSSION.



19. RESPECT THAT SOME CHILDREN LEARN LESSONS AT DIFFERENT RATES.



20. PROFILE HOW CHILDREN LEARN, INTERACT, AND DEVELOP, AND FOLLOW AGE APPROPRIATE AND DEVELOPMENTAL EXPECTATIONS.



21. SHOW LOVE AND KINDNESS TO SPOUSE AT ALL TIMES IN FRONT OF CHILDREN.



22. THE GOAL IS SELF-RELIANCE AND INTERDEPENDENCE. WEAN WHEN SIGNS OF INTERDEPENDENCE ARE NOTICED AND SEEN.



23. THE PLAN OF SALVATION ALLOWS INDIVIDUALS TO MAKE THEIR OWN DECISIONS-BE WILLING TO ALLOW CHILDREN TO MAKE POOR DECISIONS.



24. DESCRIBE THE "WHY" OF DECISIONS, NOT JUST "NO".



25. GIVE CHOICES TO ENCOURAGE GOOD PLAN OF SALVATION DECISIONS.

*Bishop Ken Fisher

The Tender Mercies of God

In our church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saint, we believe deeply and with all of our hearts in Jesus Christ, our Savior, and the Father of us all, our Heavenly Father.

As we are coming upon the Easter Season, it is a hallowed and special time for me. This is a time when I think of the inhumanity of man and also the charity and love of my Savior.

I know with all of my heart that Jesus is indeed the very Christ, the literal Son of our Eternal Father in Heaven, the one who was referred to as Jehovah in the Old Testament. Our Savior left his glorious realm on high to come to this earth to gain a physical body of flesh and bones. How else could the Savior know how to succor His flock if He had not walked the same journey? How would he know how to heal my wounded spirit at night if He had not also sought guidance through prayer to our Father in Heaven? How else would He know about pain, my afflictions, how it feels to lose someone through the separation of death unless He had walked that same lonely pathway as well? Would He know what it feels like to be hungry unless He, who was the creator of this earth, hungry himself?

I love to read the stories of Jesus in the New Testament. I close my eyes and I am there with the shepherds as the glories of the heavens were opened to them and angels proclaimed the birth of Jesus Christ. I am there in my mind as the Savior feeds the hungry and I listen in rapture and spiritual delight to his Sermon on the Mount. I see His compassion and majesty as He heals a leper and restores eyesight to the blind. I am struggling with the apostles as they try to keep their boat afloat only to see the Savior rebuke the rough waters and the waters are still. I was also there on that crucial night when He broke bread and provided wine for what is known as the Last Supper and as He, the Lord of Lords, humbled himself as a servant and washed and dried the dusty feet of each apostle. I anguished with Him as our Savior, the King of Kings, the Lord over Heaven and Earth, committed Himself unto will of God and into the hands of evil men, who did horrendous and horrible things to our Savior. I wept with the women and our Savior's dear friends as His spirit left His body on the bloody cross at Calvary. I weep with joy and gladness because I was there with Mary, with Peter, John, Thomas, and all the other apostles of our Lord and Savior, when He appeared to them as a resurrected being and loosened the bands of death.

I know because of the Savior's atonement, His resurrection, along with His perfect life, that I will be resurrected as well. It is my earthly conduct that will determine if I live with Him, my Heavenly Father, along with my family and friends after I die in a state of never ending happiness.

On this brilliant Easter Season, I raise my voice with the Savior's prophets and apostles now and then, I KNOW MY SAVIOR LIVES!

-Shelly