Lesson 7

Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

Before the lesson read:

Today’s Family: The Eternal Role of Mothers

The Role of Fathers  by A. Theodore Tuttle

 Song:

Love One Another p. 308

Scripture:

Mosiah 4:14-15: “And ye will not suffer your children that they go hungry, or naked; neither will ye suffer that they transgress the laws of God, and fight and quarrel one with another, and serve the devil, who is the master of sin, or who is the evil spirit which hath been spoken of by our fathers, he being an enemy to all righteousness. But ye will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; ye will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another.”

Lesson:

Start off by going around the room and sharing something that you love about them to each person. Show picture of Pres. Benson: President Benson taught: “Our young people need love and attention, not indulgence. They need empathy and understanding, not indifference, from mothers and fathers. They need the parents’ time. A mother’s kindly teachings and her love for and confidence in a teenage son or daughter can literally save them from a wicked world.”“Praise your children more than you correct them,” he counseled. “Praise them for even their smallest achievement. ...Encourage your children to come to you ...with their problems and questions by listening to them every day”(From “Strengthening the Family: A Solemn Responsibility to Love and Care,” Ensign July 2005). Share with your kids what you did to prepare for a spouse and family. Have your spouse do the same.  Tell them some of the important lessons you had to learn along the way. Tell them how hard it is to be a parent, share with them some of your struggles. Share with them some of your most prized memories. End with your testimony of the role you play in the family and what it means to you.

Game:

Choose an activity that best suits your family.

1.      Play the “what if” game but use family situations. Like “what if I have a bad day at school, what will you do to help?”

2.      Have each child create a book about what they want their future family to be like, have them list some qualities or traits they want to have, and what they want their spouse to have.

3.      Play the game of Life.

Treat: 
Make M&M cookies. Tell them that the M&M’s are life experiences that make you better just like they make the cookie better. 

Follow up throughout the week. 
Plan special events with your children. Play with them, and spend quality time with them without distractions.