My Mother's Advice

After reading the very kind comments on my previous blog entry about patience, I thought I'd post the advice my mom passed on to me and my siblings. Here's what she said...

In the adult session of Stake Conference, a mother of 5 boys shared tips for taking the downs in daily family life and neutralizing them so they don't damage the spirit in our homes. When something goes wrong and everyone is silent waiting for you to explode in anger, remember Tolerance, Humor, Do Over, and Control.

Tolerance--Don't point out every mistake. Be tolerant of each other. It's ok to make mistakes. Everyone does. We're here to grow & learn from our mistakes. Don't get into the blaming game. Just move on and do better next time.

Humor--When you fall down, spill something, or goof up, don't get mad, LAUGH about it. Children take their emotional cues from their parents. When parents act outraged, everyone else is tense around them. Humor helps diffuse the anger and makes the problems more bearable.

Do Over--Before you lose it, remember PAUSE, REWIND, & PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM! This strategy gives the problem maker an immediate second chance to recognize and fix the mistake and move on without any damaging rucus.

Control--When we react instead of acting, the natural man shows his ugly head and we lose the spirit in our homes. Control is all about suppressing the natural man. Mosiah 3:19 counsels us to become as a little child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, and full of love. Remember that you love your child more than you love the bowl he broke!

The most important work we will do in this life will be raising the next generation in righteousness. Happiness is achieved when families are founded on the Savior. We may not be given immunity from trials and problems but we do have the gospel that guides us in handling our challenges. Tap into the strength of the spirit each day with prayer & scripture study. We can do all things with the Lord's help. We can make home a bit of heaven on earth!

Pretty good, huh? On top of that, I played Primary songs all day to invite the spirit into our home, thus making it harder for me to get mad and react. That doesn't mean that kids will never get in trouble, it just makes it easier for me to dicipline with love and not over-react. But the most important thing that I did yesterday and today was to pray, first thing in the morning, for Heavenly Father to help me have more patience with my kids and to show them more love. I truly believe that was the biggest reason why I had such great success. Hope this helps!