The home is the perfect
place to be taught and instructed. One of the most important things to teach
and learn in the home is the importance of work in the family. Adam taught us
this example by laboring by "the sweat of his brow." We can see that
true happiness in life comes from hard work. It seems that in today's society,
we are veering away from that important principle by eliminating as much work
as possible. Many parents inhibit their children by eliminating the struggles
they have to pass through by giving their children all that they might need.
This type of habit has been accelerating since the 50's. Things were very
different in the past. For example, a 14 year old Mormon boy invented the TV.
He figured it out when he was plowing a field (when he was doing something
tangible). Most of the world's greatest inventions were thought of while doing
work.
Also, men and women were
more equal from the beginning of time to the beginning of the 20th century. But
wages went down after WWII because employers had twice as many
workers as needed and so both had to work to make one person’s income. Since
then, it is thought that both genders must work outside of the home for
equality. We can actually see, though, that dual income families tend to bring
in less than a single income family. For example, a study less than 10 years
ago examined a specific family. These were the financial circumstances:
- Dad 45 yrs old made $42,000 per yr.
- Mom 32 yrs old made $30,000 per yr.
- They had 2 boys at home.
An accountant looked at
their finances for 2 days and looked at what the results were from having
another income. Results showed that all
together, they made $40,500 before taxes. The woman was
working for around $1 an hour and was very upset to see that she was working
and missing opportunities to teach and be with her children for such a low
income.
We see that the majority of families are the same way (shown is
various studies).
I want to testify of the importance of the gospel in our lives.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sent out a "Proclamation
to the World" regarding The Family and the responsibilities of husbands,
fathers, wives, and mothers. It also examines the importance of the home and
children in a family. A portion of it explains:
By divine design, fathers are to preside over their
families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the
necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily
responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred
responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as
equal partners.
This states that husbands are to provide, and wives are to
nurture but they are to be equal partners, both contributing to their #1 cause:
to raise their family in righteousness. I didn't have the opportunity to grow
up in such an ideal family setting and thus see the importance of it. I had a
rough and difficult up-bringing and because of it, I am taking this class to
learn how I can break such a bad chain. My wife and I are both going to school
and learning so much here. We are putting into practice many of these
principles in our home and we have seen a big difference in our relationship.
We love and rely on the Lord and listen to his counsels-- this principle being
one of them.
For more information about The Family: A Proclamation to the World go to:
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