It may initially seem unrelated, but I have been thinking a lot about parenting issues lately. I have read some things about supporting each other as mothers and recognizing each other's strengths. In Sunday School last week, we talked about eternal marriage and kept coming back to the idea that different couples have different strengths and weaknesses (as we shared examples of things we or our parents have done). My mind accepts these ideas, but I just can't seem to help worrying sometimes that I am exactly the wrong kind of mom and my kids are going to be really messed up as a result of being sent to me. Here's a comforting quote from Elder Ballard that I remind myself of sometimes:
“Nurturing refers to parenting behaviors such as warmth, support, bonding, attachment, recognizing each child's unique abilities, and attending to children's needs. Nurturing in and of itself is more important in the development of a child than is any particular method or technique of child rearing."
In any case, here are some pictures of my strength: Fun. What every child needs to become a responsible, contributing, room-cleaning adult! :)
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| Around 1900, a rich man donated this merry-go-round with the instrucion that it always be free for children, since he had been too poor to afford things like that. It's by the entrance to the zoo. |
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| The setting for this zoo is my favorite thing about it. |
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| They often have people doing face painting here. Eli hasn't done it before, but this time he gave in. And then regretted it. :) |
After the zoo, we joined some friends - Charlotte Hansen and her mom and kids - to go to the Discovery Museum.
1 comment:
Oh dear. If you are failing as a parent, we are all DOOMED! Doomed, I say! ;) Really though, it is always surprising to hear others voice their insecurities. I often look at you and feel sad for my kids at how little effort I put into making things special for them/taking them on adventures, etc. Truly though, I know how much you love your kids and the spirit you have (which is unmistakeably amazing by the by). There are always going to be so many questions and issues and difficulties in raising these little people, so many struggles they will face that there is no escaping some worry that we will fail them. But you won't Marn. Part of coming here with all our mortal failings was also coming to mortal parents -- Who themselves have failings; but through time I truly imagine few spirits have been as lucky in their parents as your kids. Truly. We might stumble through a little, and once in awhile a lot, but I'm quite sure, when we are chilling out together in the next life -- reviewing the difficulties we endured and even the weaknesses we were subject to, you'll be saying, "Man, you kids were lucky! I did an awesome job! " And then, of course, they'll raise up and call you blessed and all that ;)
Love you Marns!
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