When children are young, moms and dads have daily opportunities to serve and teach them important truths. Vital lessons can be shared by what loving parents say and what they do.
But as the years pass, wise parents realize that though their children are grown, and don’t need daily support, they can still benefit from the inspired example and counsel of mom or dad from time to time.
This is a story of a dad setting a wonderful example of love, service and prayer for his young sons, even when it wasn’t convenient. It’s a great reminder not to let worthwhile activities distract us from the things that matter most, that our highest priority is to lovingly live, and teach, gospel principles in our homes.
In my family, all our children left home by the time they were seventeen or eighteen. When our oldest left for BYU at age seventeen, my wise husband began the tradition of writing her a weekly email. Each Sunday he took time to send a message full of great love, fun family news, expressions of respect and appreciation, and occasional inspired counsel. Over the years he has continued this tradition with each of our children. He prayerfully seeks inspiration and guidance for what he can say that will help them. And the Lord has blessed our children and family because of my husband’s faith, love and diligence.
Each of us can create inspired opportunities to love and teach our children, growing and grown. As we seek the Lord’s help, our loving, inspired service and counsel can be a guiding influence and powerful blessing for those we love.
"A successful parent should never be too busy to capture a moment in a child's life
when an important lesson can be taught." ~Elder L. Tom Perry
