Sometimes while holding my little one, I get to worrying.Worrying about the future. Worrying about Satan and all of his evil influences I know he'll try to use to get my baby to lose her way. Let me tell you, I've never been so worried or paranoid in my life! Are you sure we can't protect our kids from everything? How 'bout I just stick her in a giant hamster ball whenever she leaves the house?? There would be a hole for food and water and such, of course :)
Ok, that's a little extreme but, I'm serious about just wanting to save her from all the evil out there! She's such an angel and I just can't stand the thought of her being hurt by anything or anyone! It just kills me. I can only imagine how our Heavenly Father feels, sending us all out here, knowing the possible obstacles and temptations that could keep us from coming back to Him.
The hard thing about it is knowing and seeing the way the world is changing, what it's turning into. I can't even watch the news because it's just too full of the evil in the world. Too full of death, hatred and sin. Parents are caring less about the way their children are raised, God is less present in the minds of the people, and overall there is less goodness and kindness. It's gotten to the point where any good deed that's noticed could get on the news because of the near-rarity of such deeds!
It doesn't help that I've seen how kids, too many to be of comfort, are growing up these days. I used to work at a daycare here in Clearfield and it just sickened me to see the things these parents let their kids do. One of the most extreme cases, something I'll never forget, was the case of a little girl, barely the age of 3. Her mom was the cook at the daycare and she had two other brothers that were cared for there as well. She didn't know how to say much, she only knew a few words or at least there were only a few that she chose to say. But do you know what the first word was that I heard her say? It happened one day when she was upset at a teacher..it was "F*** you!" Can you believe that?? Her brothers were no better, they would flip people off, quote South Park and swear up a storm when provoked in the slightest! There was another girl that came everyday with her arms covered in stick-on tattoos, just trying to be like mommy and daddy. There were multiple kids whose parents would bring home new people every night and not hide what they were doing. There were many others with similar cases and from talking to all the kids, there were only a few that came from an unbroken home..
I couldn't believe it at first, I would wonder what made the kids act in this way or that way. I would wonder why this kid yelled all the time or that kid thought they were better than everyone, above the rules. The mystery was solved upon meeting their parents, and I'm sure if I met the parents of the parents, that mystery would be solved as well. I would see dads come and yell at their kid for no apparent reason and another parent come that would complain about everything until they got their way. No wonder their kids acted that way! It just seems to me that people are getting careless, not paying enough attention to the examples they are setting for those around them, but especially the example they are setting for their children! Little kids are so impressionable, they see their parents drink and they will most likely drink. They hear their parents swear in most common conversations and they will grow to do the same. It just breaks my heart.
So, you'll forgive me when I say that I'm hesitant to send my baby out there with those kinds of people running around. It was bad enough back when I was in school, but I never had to deal with these problems when I was in elementary. When I was in grade school, you hardly ever heard swear words, and when you did, those people would get in trouble. Now, though, I doubt that most people would even notice if a child swore! We're just getting more and more desensitized to it all. Movies that were once PG-13 are now PG, movies that should be rated R are now PG-13 and who knows how many teens are being subjected to it? Movies that are meant for kids often trouble even me! All TV shows and movies "have to have" references to sex (if not actual scenes showing it), some form of drugs, and casual consumption of alcohol. It didn't just jump to being that way either. It's the flaxen cord that is talked about in the scriptures. We started out with just a few swear words and gradually got to the point we're at now, where conversations consist of swear words on a regular basis, they're pretty much every other word spoken. We started out with modest clothing and gradually we started hemming the skirts up and up, we started cutting the necklines deeper and deeper, and so on until today the actresses hardly have anything but underwear on! No one can say we didn't have time to stop that from happening.
It scares me when I think of it all, when I think of what we parents are up against. Those of us that are trying to raise our children in the gospel..we're going to be constantly at war with Satan. When our children step out of our homes, they will be assailed from all sides. That is why it is so important to keep our families centered around the Lord, to raise our children to know that they are meant for so much more! They are children of the Most High. They're not going to make it out of this life completely unscathed, that would go against the Plan. But, with the help of our Father in Heaven and with the support of the family, they will make it back! In my eyes, there's no other way. My kids will know God. They will know that He loves them. They will know that their parents love them. Maybe that means that sometimes I will not allow them to go out with their friends if I question the intentions of the group. Maybe that means they'll be upset with me but, it will also mean that I was prompted to act that way to protect them and they'll thank me for it one day. I know that because I have righteous parents who have done that for me a time or two :)
I'm so grateful to have had such wonderful parents and role-models in my life! They have helped me stay on the straight and narrow, and now I can be that guiding influence in my own children's lives! Nothing makes me happier than knowing that I've lived worthy to be sealed to my family forever, to know that I've lived in a way that will lend guidance and strength to my sweet angels. Heaven knows they'll need all the help they can get in this world! I plan on being that help. If for no other reason (though there are many), I will live righteously to set the example for my children! Everything starts in the home, that is where we are first nurtured and where we learn the most important lessons in life. So, keep your home centered around Christ. Doing so will ensure you never lose your way, all who enter will feel of that Spirit and benefit from it, and your home will be a safe haven from the world. "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15)
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