February 16, 2010 - PLEASE DON'T SNEEZE

A few weeks ago, my attention was brought to a talk by Elder Neal A. Maxwell that was printed in the April 1985 Ensign. Elder Maxwell commented that the rising generation (of that time) was the first generation to be reared in a time when society's other institutions, which previously helped teach a moral standard, had become neutralized. He warned parents that the world's norms were becoming more and more at odds with the moral standard we want our children to live and that it was not just a temporary tidal wave that would pass, but instead a tempest that would only grow until He comes. At that time, he was talking to me as a parent - you kids were the youth. And his voice was one of prophecy, for I can testify that the standards of the world have not just slid. They have nose dived. The world will not help you raise your children to be good people. Don't expect help from the schools, the neighborhood, the athletic teams, the media, or the "role models" and famous figures of the world. They will not help and they could do a lot of harm if you allow them to. Your children must learn moral standards in the home from you. And then they must be in Church because the Church is the only place where those moral standards will be reinforced. Never ground your children from church activity. That is the place you want them to be. Don't allow your children to slide away from church with excuses of being too busy. Help them learn to make the time. Help them learn to set the right priorities. And that means you must set the right priorities. Elder Maxwell said, "This is not the time for busy or preoccupied parents to leave our youth unloved, unattended, or untaught. In allocation of your precious time and talent, be generous with the rising generation". I find it very interesting that it was when I was a young mother that the church first began stressing that mother's need to be home to teach and rear children. The church leadership was not trying to tie women down or merely force traditional unwanted rolls upon them. They were forseeing and preparing for the time when it would be absolutely neccessary for a parent to be in the home to teach their children because they could not trust anyone else to do so. The Church always attempts to put a policy or practice into place at least a generation before it is truly needed. Well, you are that generation when it is truly needed. Parents, you must teach your children proper standards. They will not learn honesty, virtue, responsibility, kindness or any other good virtue from the world. They must learn them at home. Elder Maxwell also said that in today's world, "if parents sneeze, their children may well get pneumonia!" In other words, in todays world, a little deviation from a parent may end up being a disaster for the child. So, please don't sneeze. Stay firm in your committment to teach truth in your homes. Don't waver - not even a little bit - not even a sneeze worth. And one last thought from Elder Maxwell. Just as the rising generation is here, now by divine design - so are you who have been placed just ahead of them. You are parents now because the Lord trusts you and knows you can teach these young ones in a very hostile environment and succeed. You can and I pray you will.