Gordon B. Hinckley, president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (or Mormon Church as it is commonly known), stated:
“The home is the seed bed of all true virtue. If proper values are not taught in the home, they are not likely to be taught at all” (from the pamphlet, 10 Ways to Teach Values in the Home).
The very first place a child is introduced to values is in the home. Depending on the priorities of the parents, different values will be stressed in each individual family. One family may focus first on service. Another family may be more concerned with courtesy. For others it may be courage, or honesty, or integrity. These are all fine values, and one is no more important than another.
In these days there is a growing number of children who are not being taught even the most basic of values. Perhaps there is no time, as one or both parents are called upon to work outside of the home. It could be the parents were not taught a proper value system, and don’t know where to begin with their own children. Whatever the reason my hope is to help bring a bit of direction through the pamphlet previously mentioned, “
“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).
The younger your children are, the easier it will be to instill proper values in them. As they grow older it is still possible, but breaking bad habits becomes a part of the challenge.
Before we even get around to how to teach your children, you need to take stock of what your own values are. What things did your parents teach that still remain important to you today? From there think of what other values you’d like to teach your children. As we go through the 10 ways listed in the pamphlet, continue on in the areas that may not be mentioned here. If there are values you struggle with yourself, for example paying tithing, or sticking to a budget, or saying family prayer every night, make this an entire family effort.
The main point it to do it. If our children go astray, even after all we have done to train them up in the ways of the Lord, it will not be judged against us. However, if we have not done all we can for our children, we are the ones who will have to answer for it. Moses 6:54 (located in the Pearl of Great Price) testifies of this:
“…Wherein the sins of the parents cannot be answered upon the heads of the children, for they are whole from the foundation of the world.”
It may seem daunting, especially to those who were not taught themselves, or who have let many years slip by without instilling values in their children. I can promise you the blessings of starting from this point on will be extraordinary. It won’t come without challenges, but with the Lord’s help it will happen.
