Train up a child in the way he should go. It begins in the home with you and your example. Here is an excerpt from a magazine article by Gordon B Hinkley. Although it was written many years ago, much of it is still relevant today.
"A better tomorrow begins with the training of a better generation. This places upon parents the responsibility to do a more effective work in the rearing of children. The home is the cradle of virtue, the place where character is formed and habits are established.....
You know that your children will read. They will read books and they will read magazines and newspapers. Cultivate within them a taste for the best. While they are very young, read to them the great stories which have become immortal because of the virtues they teach. Expose them to good books. Let there be a corner somewhere in your house, be it ever so small, where they will see at least a few books of the kind upon which great minds have been nourished.
Let there be good magazines about the house, those which are produced by the Church and by others, which will stimulate their thoughts to ennobling concepts. Let them read a good family newspaper that they may know what is going on in the world without being exposed to the debasing advertising and writing so widely found. When there is a good show in town, go to the theater as a family. Your very patronage will give encouragement to those who wish to produce this type of entertainment. And use that most remarkable of all tools of communication, television, to enrich their lives. There is so much that is good, but it requires selectivity........
Let there be music in the home. If you have teenagers who have their own recordings, you will be prone to describe the sound as something other than music. Let them hear something better occasionally. Expose them to it. It will speak for itself. More of appreciation will come than you may think. It may not be spoken, but it will be felt, and its influence will become increasingly manifest as the years pass."
-Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, November 1975, p. 38
Our children are being bombarded with every evil thing. It is coming to them from so many places, they are exposed to evil just about everywhere in life. The home is one of the last safe havens in this world, but I fear that many homes are being overcome with the evil that so easily surrounds us. This does not have to be, our homes can and should be a safe place for our family. It should be a place where children and parents can be exposed to the good things that are not readily found in society. Our homes could, and should be a soft place for the family to fall, a place far away from the cares of the world.
Our home should be a place of beauty, a place where the spirit of Christ abounds. I make this a part of my daily prayer, asking often for the spirit of Christ to always abide in my home. It is important to have goodness in the home so that the children will be able to observe and model the beauty of things around them. Children will not know the beauty of honesty, or integrity if it is not modeled in the home. If they never read a good book with heroes and characters that exemplify these traits they will believe in the so called heroes found in todays books and movies. Who is your child's hero? Find out, ask these things, If their hero is less than desirable, help them to find a new hero.
Expose your children to the good things in life. It will begin to infiltrate their hearts and minds. Make good books, music and media a part of your everyday life. We keep Christian music on the radio in the car we tune into K-Love, it can be found in most states. Take your children to church. Expose them to the sights and sounds of worship. It makes me sad when I see a family where Grandma goes to church, but takes no one else with her. I would urge you to express your love of the Savior to your children. Let them know that he is your role model. Become a disciple of Christ and a good example to your family. Teach them and show them how to value goodness, honesty, virtue, modesty and so on. Teach them to be beautiful inside and out.
Blessing to you and your family as you strive to stand for a higher cause.
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