Motherly Advice

I was going through some files today, and I came across a letter my mom wrote to me and my sisters dated in 2003. I thought it was so ironic since tomorrow is Mother's Day. She gave such great advice and I wanted to share it.

1. Teach your children to do things for themselves. Don't always step in and take care of the situations they get themselves into. Let them learn for themselves how to get out of predicaments, but be there to support the decisions they make, and pick them up and help them heal when they fail.

2. Teach your children the value of hard work, and responsibility for not only themselves but for those around them.

3. Teach your children to be thoughtful and respectful toward others both in the family and out. Teach them to loose themselves in service.

4. Teach your children that you will always be there to support them, but you cannot do everything for them.

5. Work together in decision making as a married couple. Discuss how you want things to turn out, and work together to make those things happen.

6. Teach your children to call up their siblings for no reason at all, but to see how their day was, or what is going on in their lives. Don't just use birthday's, and holiday's to be the only reason why you want to be a part of their lives.

7. Teach your children that when all their friends are long gone and involved in their own lives, that the family is always there and will always be there. That is what eternal families are all about. We will always be connected no matter what, and we should truly care about each other more than our own selves.

8. Take one night a week out to spend with just family. Not TV, not with other company, not at a school function, but just you and your children. Teach them about Heavenly Father, and how important it is to have religion in your life. I am not talking about the practice of religion itself, but about faith in our Heavenly Father, and that they are taught right from wrong and have a conscience to be a good person.

9. Value every minute of those nights together, because before you know it those years are gone, and all you can do is reflect back at the memories you made with them, and hope you did right as a parent. Hopefully it will carry over past when they all leave the house and have their own families, and they will stay in touch, and want to be close to each other throughout all their adult lives.

Mom, I just want to thank you for this great advice. I know it will come in handy when I have children of my own. Your the best, and I love you so much. Thanks for not only being the best Mom, but for also being my best friend!