Thursday, October 4, 2012

Traditions (Follow Up)



Bedtime Tradition:  She read an article on MSN.  She had lots of freckles and kids made fun of her.  Every night her Mom would help her focus on what was happy about the day.  At first he had to say the stuff he liked and disliked.  Now we have to limit it to 3 items that they are thankful for and happy for.

Your mental attitude is a habit that we get into.  We can change our heart through the Atonement.

She stayed home while the kids were little.  Then Mike had back surgery and had to retire early and she went to work full time.  It’s been an eye opener to see what happens when she walks in the door.

Class Member Shared: College daughter still feels connected to home even while away at college because her Mom sent her pillowcase and her Conference binder to her at college early. 

Class Member Shared:  Daughter was scared of her window, but last night it wasn’t.  She took the time to validate her feelings.  That’s really hard for me.  Talked it over with her and took time to pray with her.  I told her that we have our Heavenly Father here to help us and not be scared.  She is really hard to get anything spiritual into her little heart.  I need to grasp these moments when I can penetrate her heart with the Spirit.   She made the effort more than usual.

We have to be on the road going and trying.  It is hard. Change percentages.

We have kids that go to bed really well and then they start not doing it.  You get in there and get to sleep.  Their life continues to change and have new experiences like we do.  The world they see isn’t the world you see.  They can be exposed by something on TV, something some says, to something that is new that is now scary.  A friend tells them about a movie where a robber broke in.  It can be a story.  There is input that we don’t know about.  From time to time…your children are going to push against the pricks.  They start feeling like they are older and suddenly they are pushing to see if you are going to keep the same boundaries.  They aren’t going to tell you that.  It is a subconscious thing.  They push and if you maintain those boundaries they will back off and be happy again.  We push against the Lord, but he keeps his boundaries.   Our principle boundaries need to always stay the same, but the practices can change.  Principles need to be solid and concrete.

Moses 1:39 Behold his is my work and my glory to bring to pass the immortality of man.  
Glory = happiness, my sense of fulfillment. 

Parenting….This is our work and our glory in our home.  It is work!  It is also our glory.  It is the greatest joy you have ever had.

As Sister Tanner looks at my kids and raise their children that is my greatest joy.  Can you imagine if they were raising their kids in a way that wasn’t good. 

In those really discouraging moments remember the “why”.  There are truly sacred moments you are having right now.  I envy you coming into the holiday seasons with little people. 

General Conference:
One year when children were a lot younger her sister came up to visit.  She had 5 children.  They were all playing.  Saturday morning her kids watch conference.  Her kids came up and said what’s going on.  Her kids said Conference is on Sunday.  They didn’t know Conference was on Saturday. 

When we don’t train our children to know that it is on Saturday and our Young Men don’t understand that Priesthood session is an option.  It is a commandment.

Being a dictator doesn’t work.  The things in our power are to create an environment.  We can’t force them to have a testimony, but we create experiences where they feel our love and testimony.

Elder Bednar…Spirit will bring truth “unto”, but they open the door and bring it “into”.

When you have little people it isn’t about them learning principles it’s about them feeling warm fuzzies.  It focuses on what we will do with conference more than what you can’t do during Conference. 


As we teach that principle that we have living prophets to give them the knowledge and testify that is the truth doesn’t take it into their heart.  It’s where we bring that truth to them and let them open the door get it in. 

It’s fun because of how you set it up.  How you set it up is practices.  Article of Faith #9 is principle.  That needs to be taught!  It distinguishes us from all the other churches.  How you do it is practices.

Food is a drawing card for children.  The bait is food.  Anything that helps the child become interactive.  Their attention span is short.  Anything that helps them have recall after they’ve heard it is a good hook.  It opens the door to take it from unto to into.

Conference wasn’t options.  All 4 session.  Our children would start early Saturday morning laying claim to their turf.  This is my spot for Conference.  One son would take the afghans an roll them up and put them in a circle.  That was his nest and no one could get into it.  Someone would bring blankets and pillows.  Everyone defined their areas.  Always make cinnamon rolls, sugar cereal, all that fun stuff.  Food is a real come on. 
Come Listen to a Prophet’s Voice magnet board…mix up the pictures on fridge and put them in order.  Play match with names and pictures.  Use business card magnets on the back.  It helps them to learn faces.  These are up year round on the fridge. 

Highly recommend conference notebooks.  www.lds.org they have preparation for Conference.  It gives you a link to the packet.  It’s fun for primary age children.  Give them part the first day and part the second. 

Tracy’s traditions:  Conference binder….larger pictures of the 15.  They take notes for whomever was speaking.  They keep their own notes under that apostle. 

Mary Popins “gallon bags” with the prophet/apostle picture in the bag was an activity to do while they were talking. 

Pictures on the wall and put up topic for each one.

Jars of candy in front with “topics” on, when they hear it they get a piece out of the jar.

The purpose of Conference it to “Come Listen To a Prophet’s Voice”. 

The younger the children are the more “fun” things they need, but you need to wean them as they get older to actually listen. 

If you want this principle to get into, it has to be a living principle.  It isn’t momentary.  It’s living!  The principle has life.  I would recommend once Conference is over each member of your family gets their own copy and you put their name on it.  This should go with their scriptures.  They can read in there on their personal scriptures reading time. 

The friend has good follow up.  It should become your FHE manual for the next 6 months.  Put a blank piece of paper next to it.  Let each one of your children pick one of the 15.  They are responsible for teaching the FHE on whatever Conference talk they gave.  As they give the talk, you need to prepare a way for the family to implement it. 

Name, Talk, Goal.  It could last a couple of week…learn about it, then activity on it.  It doesn’t die after conference Sunday.  It lives on and we focus on it and we testify of it and we make it a living part of our home. 

Class Member Shared:  Mormon messages….stories have been put to animation on lds.org   Good Sunday activity.  Mormon channel app.  You can get them anywhere.  We need to use them more often.  They have been created to help teach the youth and catch their attention.

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