Our lives are hectic. No one will deny that. To live today is often to rush frantically from one thing to another. Our jobs often take up most of our time and, when we go home, we’d maybe rather relax by ourselves than worry about what our children have been doing.
Sometimes, our children’s needs can seem less essential than that big work project, or getting that book written before deadline or finishing that church responsibility early (Mormons think church involvement is important, but never to the neglect of family). Even that football game can get so involving that our children are given a back seat. When you’re involved in something else, your children can even seem like interruptions or irritants.
Always remember that they are your highest priority, that their instruction and welfare is very important — that they depend on you and that your time is the greatest gift you can give them. Mormons believe that parenthood is among the greatest roles we can have and that it is always the parents’ responsibility to make sure children grow up right.
Elder Ballard, a Mormon apostle, speaks further on this:
“We should cherish and care for our children with unwavering dedication. The older we grow, the more precious our family becomes to us. We come to see more clearly that all of the wealth, honor, and positions of the world pale in significance when compared to the precious souls of our loved ones. You young parents who are beginning your families must guard against seeking financial gain, worldly comforts, or achievement at the expense of your children. You must guard against being so anxious to get to work or to a meeting that you do not have time for your family, especially time to listen to anxious little voices. . . .
“We cannot and we must not allow the school, community, television, or even Church organizations to establish our children’s values. The Lord has placed this duty with mothers and fathers. It is one from which we cannot escape and one that cannot be delegated. Others may help, but parents remain accountable.”
(M. Russell Ballard, “Teach the Children,” Ensign, May 1991, 79-80) (From LDS Family Gems)