"Mothers who know are nurturers. This is their special assignment and role under the plan of happiness. To nurture means to cultivate, care for, and make grow. Therefore, mothers who know create a climate for spiritual and temporal growth in their homes. Another word for nurturing is homemaking. Homemaking includes cooking, washing clothes and dishes, and keeping an orderly home. Home is where women have the most power and influence; therefore, Latter-day Saint women should be the best homemakers in the world. Working beside children in homemaking tasks creates opportunities to teach and model qualities children should emulate. Nurturing mothers are knowledgeable, but all the education women attain will avail them nothing if they do not have the skill to make a home that creates a climate for spiritual growth. Growth happens best in a “house of order,” and women should pattern their homes after the Lord’s house (see D&C 109). Nurturing requires organization, patience, love, and work. Helping growth occur through nurturing is truly a powerful and influential role bestowed on women."
My teacher called on random people to say what they thought about this particular talk. The first person who spoke up made a comment about how in today's society, the word homemaking has a negative connotation. Everybody readily agreed and we talked about it for quite a while. It is funny to me that homemaking is thought of in such a bad way. There is nothing I want more in this world than to be a homemaker for my family. There were a few girls in my class who obviously didn't like that woman are expected to be homemakers their whole lives and just cook and clean their house, but to me, homemaking is so much more than just cooking and cleaning. Obviously, everyone is not like me and different people have different desires, but it was really eye opening to me that people felt bad about themselves for just being a homemaker and just having the responsibility of taking care of their children. It is the greatest responsibility that we can have!
Another girl in my class, who works on campus, talked about how her job is to call people who have graduated from BYU-Idaho and see what they are doing today. She said that often times when she calls woman who have graduated from BYU-Idaho, they are embarrassed to say that they have not used their degree at all and they are only a stay at home mom. After they tell her that, she says she asks them how they have used what they learned at school in raising their families, and often times, they come up with a lot of answers. My teacher pointed out how everyone in the room has been changed more than we know by attending college. I think that is so true, and I know that I personally have changed in so many ways for the better. It is contradicting how the church urges woman, well actually everyone, to get as much education as they can, and then sit at home and raise children. I think it is because it is important to have as much knowledge as we can as we raise our children. I know that I am going to parent my children way differently than I would have without the knowledge that I now have.
I guess the point of this post comes back to how my major is child development. When I tell people that my major is child development I feel embarrassed, as if I chose the easy way out or the easy degree. I have changed my major three times and I finally settled on child development, and I didn't choose it for the easy way out. There is no doubt that child development is an easier major than biology or chemistry or some other majors, but I chose to study child development because that is what I love, and mostly I want to stay at home with my children. I am not saying that I will never have to work, because I think I will if Darren ends up in medical school, but having my major as child development lets me have a job that will still allow me to be at home with my children and work, such as doing a home daycare or preschool. There are many jobs that I would love to have, such as being an early intervention specialist. I think that is my dream job, except a job that I want more than that is to be a mother. I know that everyone doesn't love children as much as I do, and that is okay, I am not trying to be preachy, I just feel strongly about my choice to stay at home with my children (that don't even exist yet) if I am blessed enough to be able to do so. Also, I think that every mother should feel like they are making a difference in the world by raising their children to the best of their ability. It is okay to be a stay at home mom, and it makes me sad when people feel bad about themselves for making that choice.
I will end my little rant now with this quote from Sister Beck:
"Who will prepare this righteous generation of sons and daughters? Latter-day Saint women will do this—women who know and love the Lord and bear testimony of Him, women who are strong and immovable and who do not give up during difficult and discouraging times. We are led by an inspired prophet of God who has called upon the women of the Church to “stand strong and immovable for that which is correct and proper under the plan of the Lord.” He has asked us to “begin in [our] own homes” to teach children the ways of truth. Latter-day Saint women should be the very best in the world at upholding, nurturing, and protecting families. I have every confidence that our women will do this and will come to be known as mothers who “knew”
I know I am not a mother, and so I don't know fully what that entails, but this is how I feel about motherhood. I have wanted to be a mother my whole life, literally. As a child, you could never find me without a baby doll attached to my hip...and when possible a real baby. I am excited for the future when I have the opportunity to raise my Heavenly Father's children.
Sweet hair, huh?
Great post. =)
ReplyDeleteLove the hair! And love you!
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