A Little Child Shall Lead Them/ Upon Principles of Righteousness

It was very clear this April, that there was a renewed emphasis on the Family.  At least from the perspective here in our home and from others I've talked with about Conference. And Pres Packer doesn't mince words- he's bold and unapologetic.  I loved this talk. There was so much in here! I especially loved the parts about not scheduling the family so much with Church activities.

"The ultimate end of all activity in the Church is to see a husband and his wife and their children happy at home, protected by the principles and laws of the gospel, sealed safely in the covenants of the everlasting priesthood. Husbands and wives should understand that their first calling is to one another and then to their children... in all that we do in the Church, we need to provide a way,as leaders, for parents and children to have time together as families... Family time is sacred time and should be protected and respected. We urge our members to show devotion to their families."

This was another talk about Parents' Responsibilities to their Children. We've tried so hard to make sure our children understand the doctrine- (That's in another talk later on)- to have them feel the spirit on their own, to see the hand of God in their lives, and to feel the Spirit in their own good choices.

In raising our family, we decided that our most important goal would be to help our children establish their own connection to heaven. We knew that ultimately they would need to depend on the Lord, not on us. Brigham Young said, “Were I to draw a distinction in all the duties that are required of the children of men, … I would place first and foremost the duty of seeking unto the Lord our God until we open the path of communication from heaven to earth—from God to our own souls.”