Last week we talked a little bit about fathers and this week I wanted to focus more on parenting. More specifically, I wanted to discuss how important it is to develop a relationship with your children where you both can feel comfortable coming to each other, as well as posses a mutual respect and understanding.

So what is the purpose of parenting? I believe it is to help children become disciples of Christ. I believe it is a very sacred and important calling that Heavenly Father has graciously trusted us with. It is very personal. Each child in each family is very different, and as such, requires different parenting techniques. In other words, your parenting style may have to vary from child to child. It is also essential to teach of Christ not only by word, but by action. This means showing your children how much you love Christ by the things you do each day. Transmit your righteous values and standard onto your children, so they may adopt similar Christlike behavior.

Furthermore, parents themselves are blessed as they progressively become more like their Heavenly Father. In order to become as He is, we must become parents of His children and develop the attributes needed to parent as He would- well as close as we can humanly get. These attributes may include patience, humility, selflessness, and an overwhelming, ever-growing amount of love that can truly only be experienced as a parent. Parents also learn a lot about themselves. They learn what attributes they do possess, and which ones they need to acquire. Children and parents teach each other. It is not just the child learning from the parent, but the parent also learning from the child. Parents, it is important to protect and prepare your children to survive and thrive in the world they were born to live in. Heavenly Father sent us down at this time for a specific purpose, and it is our job to prepare the future generations for what is in store for them.

Now I would like to express some ways to teach children in a more authoritative way, rather than a submissive or authoritarian way. An authoritative parent is one who expresses much love and support toward their children, however they make sure to set rules and expectations that will help their children succeed. Let's discuss ways to address problems with your child in an authoritative manner. First ask, "who owns this problem?" Is it your child, or is it in fact you that has the problem? If you decide your child does own the problem, begin with a polite request for them to change their action or behavior. Follow up with an "I" message. This means simply express how whatever they are doing or saying makes you feel and how their decision affects you. After doing so in a calm manner, you can get a little firmer. However, it is important to allow the natural consequences to do the teaching. It is important to notes that you should do so except for when it is too dangerous to allow the natural consequences to follow, when it is too far off in the future to be beneficial, or when it affects others. In these cases, it is most beneficial for you to intervene. Make sure when you follow through with consequences, that the consequences pertain to the situation. If your child continuously leaves toys out, take away his toys rather than computer privileges. Your child will better recognize the correlation, thus learning from his mistakes more easily. As you practice this way of helping your child learn, you both will be able to grow in a positive direction and maintain a healthier relationship.