ZionWoman

Here is the link to the LDS.org site the policy is stated. Safeguarding Children

This is probably really too late but have picture! It really helps the talk to have visuals for the younger children. Your library should have GAK (gospel art kit) picture you can borrow. And have her bear a little testimony too. That always helps get the message you want across (not there is much of a message from a 4 or 5 year old but if they get up there and only say a small testimony, it's been a success!) :)

There is so much to know and it can be a little overwhelming. I like meal planning. Find a good cookbook. The one I loved as a newly wed was one call "cooking for two" but it is published by a canadian magazine. Start small and simple in the kitchen. Cooking is easy but it takes practice so don't get discouraged. DOn't feel like you have to be the ultimate homemaker in your first years of marriage. I have a friend who only cooks one thing everyday (one side dish or main course) and nothing more. Take a class at a community center or find a good cooking show (I like Alton Brown on the food network 'cus he's just too cute!). Cooking doesn't have to be complicated. We love food with just a few ingredients stirred together and baked for and hour. I like chore charts. Try to keep things in their place, pick up every night, never let the dishes get behind and always do one load of laundry everyday (if you have that much between you and your husband and don't have to go to a laundromat). Separate darks and lights. Wash towels, sheets, socks and undies in hot water. Wash jeans separately (they are hard on the other clothes). Take things out of the dryer and put away quickly so they don't wrinkle. And always read labels! Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it. :)

I know this is old but I also know what you mean. Going to church with small children is a cruel torture, probably meant to consume our dross and refine our gold. I have been in a newly wed ward where it seemed that sacrament meeting was a priesthood session and relief society was actually held out in the hall. We also corralled our children in folding chair playpens so they wouldn't electrocute themselves on mass. I have also been in a ward where I was one of the only ones with small children and felt like I was just putting in time at church. My role never changed, just the venue. My mom took 5 small children to church all by herself because my dad was not a member. She struggled with us and I can promise you, we didn't make it easy for her. She found help with older couples. There were three around us and they would each take one of us (they always had candy in their pockets so we were very willing to go). I guess my advice is don't be afraid of being judged. We've all been there and felt the way feel. Don't worry about what others think of you. They are most likely not judging you, just remembering the pain. Often you have to be the one to open the door to help. You have to be willing to let others take your child for a while and not worry about what they are going to think about her. My children are very enthusiastic about life in general and I used to worry that others would be overwhelmed by the little dears or think that I load them up with sugar or something but they always find them charming (I'm not sure what's charming about snot bubbles myself but to each his own). And there is my mother and grandmother's favorite saying "this too shall pass, and then you'll look back and laugh." Hang in there. They are small for so short a time, at least that's what I'm told...

If you love him and you have prayed about it why wait? If he is the one you want you should take him. I got married at 20 and my husband was 23 (we both felt so old!). We waited a bit while I finished my formal education and then couldn't get pregnant for a while and I ended getting trained in a trade too. You can certainly get an education and have a family!

I am curious to know how this turns out for you. I've never been great at fasting. I always end up with a headache and get really cranky. Maybe I've never approached it in the right spirit or something.

Just to be controversial, If it is the stimulant that is objectionable, does the WoW prohibit Red Bull and other stimulating drink as well? How about natural depressants (right word?) or tranquillizers like vallerian? Where do you draw the line?

LOL Moksha! That video was hilarious! Thanks for the laugh. I'm not against women's lib and I know I chose these circumstances. I guess what it always comes down too is the fact that I feel overwhelmed by my responsibilities sometimes and I don't bare these things very patiently or graciously for that matter. My Husband and I usually do a very good job of sharing and he's a great dad and a wonderful husband (however bad he is at multitasking :). I'm not really complaining... just trying to be ironic so please take all of this with a large grain of salt. :) I am also going to say that I do not feel like a bad mother for taking some of the burden from my husband. My children are well cared for, safe with a trusted family member for the time that one of us can't be there (I only work part time) and I feel a little bit more sane when I get home from work.

Does she fix the sink, or is that your responsibility? Usually, I wouldn't work but my children will not go hungry and homeless as long as I can help it. My husband works too but it is insufficient to keep us afloat. This doesn't bother me as it is temporary. He graduates in the spring, much sooner than if he had worked full time and studied part-time. We prayerfully choose this coarse together and we live very conservatively (no debt and a small mortgage). :)

As I was busy filling in for my husband in all his chores while he is too busy with midterms (mowing the lawn, raking leaves, taking out the garbage, cleaning the gutters, fixing a leaky sink among other manly jobs) on top of all my other womanly pursuits, which includes working outside the home while finding care for my young children to support our small but growing family while my husband attends school, I wondered what exactly woman's lib has done for me besides making it possible for me to work and making it acceptable for me to know the minutia of basic plumbing. I rather feel that it has deprived me of the benefit of having my brother or father -in-law coming to help with the manly aspects of domesticity. I only get manly help lately when something heavy is involved (heavier than a lawn mower say). Just wondering if you have any thoughts on this one. How liberated are we if ALL the domestic and financial responsibilities fall to us. Not that I really mind. I'm very independent minded, I just wonder if something hasn't been denied us in all this liberation. P.S. Sorry for the epic sentence, I'm notoriously bad for that^_^

Wow JJ. I admire your perseverance. Life can throw some pretty rough curve balls and it seems that you have had more than a few. You said you decided that God played favorites. Have you resolved this feeling? I don't believe that is true. God loves all his children and does everything for a reason. Sometimes what we pray for cannot be answered when we think it should be. I don't think I can explain everything I feel about this here but a great talk about this is given by S. Micheal Wilcox called "When My Prayers Seem Unanswered" and you can find on byutv.org. It Helped me to understand a little more and gave some resources to check out on my own. You also said that the temple ceramony felt fake. I can understand how that can happen. For some people, the temple seems strange and allien. They have a hard time connecting with it and understanding what is being said underneath the actual words. The symbols are difficult to understand. I think that if you do some more studying with the scriptures and other sources, some of these things might become more clear. I'm not going to say you weren't ready. Maybe, it wasn't what you thought it would be, maybe you were distracted by the nerves of the wedding day. My first few years of temple attendance were filled with self doubt and confussion but it got better and now, with my kids and life being what it is for me, I can;t get there enough. Take some time but don't be affraid to go back. I don't know of a better place on earth and I would hate to think that someone would deny themselves the priviliges of the temple because of a bad experience. The Lord doesn't hand things to you on a silver platter. You have to want them and you have to work for them. I can assure you, it IS WORTH IT! Homosexuality is hard to deal with. It's a tough one. I have close friends who are gay and I struggled with my feelings on the matter. I still do in some ways. Don't turn your back on your brother. I don't know why some people are gay and others don't seem to have any problems at all. I do know that God loves us all and that he tries us all in different ways. So I guess all I can say is like Nephi “I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things.” 1 Nephi 11:17. Try to have faith. Lean on those you can trust. Search, ponder, pray and find out for yourself. You have done well so far, just keep doing what has brought you back and don't stop moving forward.

I prefer to think of it as an extention of Thanksgiving and I approach it in that light. A time to be generous and share fun and bounty (even if it is in the form of candy). I don't like dressing but the kids are just too cute. I also don't like the focus on the macabre. Very upsetting.

The idea of the greater good has been hinted at in some of the replies. That idea of the greater good being that there is a law and then there is a higher law. An example being the Mosaic law followed by the Jews given to Moses and the higher law that Jesus brought during his ministry and sacrifice. In mosaic law, a blood sacrifice was required as a similitude of the Saviors sacrifice. When Jesus died for our sins, that was done away and the higher law was followed in which our offering is a broken heart and a contrite spirit. Following this idea, we can see the certain instances where the thing that would usually be the wrong thing is in fact the great good. An example of this happens when the spirit told Nephi to kill Laban. Also, when Moses lied to protect Sariah in Egypt. In the instance of war, it is NOT the greater good to willfully enter into or engage in a war that is not justified. These are wars that are meant to suppress and subject people. Whether a war is justified may not always be evident to an individual at the mercy of their government. In these cases, I believe that we use our votes to make our voices heard, do our civic duty and support our country and troops and pray for guidance in our own lives and for those who lead us. In the matter of abortion, the greater good may only be done, as was mentioned before, in extreme or life threatening circumstances. Killing should never be taken lightly, therefore, war and abortion require much reflection and careful, even prayerful thought.

Well hey there. I am a 2nd generation daughter of a member and a non-member. I was brought up in the church because my mom rocks and my dad is a good man. I live in Canada, in the west and have been blessed by the recent temples built out here. I was married in the temple 8 years ago and my husband and I have 2 wonderful children. I have mostly served the church in music callings and music is my everything. There is no communication tool more powerful or more universal. I have been working in primary for 2 years (in music until just recently). I don't think there is a better place to be. So that's about it. I guess if you want to know more about me, you'd best check out my testimony. I love the idea of this community and look forward to exploring.

Thanks everyone for your supportive comments. I guess I do have an answer. The president will consider me with the bishop. These primary years are SO important. I feel the weight of the importance of my role in their lives everyday and I pray for them. I want them all to know how much we love them and worry about them. I don't think I have ever been called to a more important calling than being in the primary.

They are CTR 5 . There are 7 of them. Our Sunbeams have 8 and the CTR6's have 6. I don't feel right about combining them with another class. About the parents: Child1: Mom-less active Dad-teaches preisthood Child2: Mom-just released for a rough pregnancy Dad-Bishopric Child3: Dad-single parent, brand new Child4: Mom-Stake calling Dad-teaches preisthood (difficult children, often taken out) Child5: Mom & Dad - team teach another primary class Child6: Mom-in Nursery Dad-Bishopric Child7: Mom-Primary councilor Dad-Away on Business A LOT! They had a teacher who taught them once. She never came back and asked to be released. We are going on about 5 months of no teacher. I feel really sad about this class. They are good kids, they just need some one to be there and love them. I've offered to teach them myself. I guess we'll see how that goes. I feel that the need is higher for a teacher than a councilor at this point.

Hi! I brand new to this site and so far, I'm impressed. I must admit that I am here for advice. I am a councilor in our primary. We have a large primary for a ward as small as ours. We have one class of young children that NO ONE wants to teach. The kids are high spirited and haven't had a good teacher for a while now. We have asked for some people to be called and they have turned it down! We don't know what to do anymore. Any advice? Thanks!