Chapter 18—Mothers
In rightly training and molding the minds of her children, mothers are
entrusted with the greatest mission ever given to mortals.—
Sons and
Daughters of God, 252
To Shape Minds and Mold Characters—Especially does re-
sponsibility rest upon the mother. She, by whose lifeblood the child
is nourished and its physical frame built up, imparts to it also mental
and spiritual influences that tend to the shaping of mind and charac-
ter. It was Jochebed, the Hebrew mother, who, strong in faith, was
“not afraid of the king’s commandment” (
Hebrews 11:23
), of whom
was born Moses, the deliverer of Israel. It was Hannah, the woman
of prayer and self-sacrifice and heavenly inspiration, who gave birth
to Samuel, the heaven-instructed child, the incorruptible judge, the
founder of Israel’s sacred schools. It was Elizabeth, the kinswoman
and kindred spirit of Mary of Nazareth, who was the mother of the
Saviour’s herald.—
The Ministry of Healing, 372 (1905)
.
Mother’s Preparation Not to Be Neglected—The child’s first
teacher is the mother. During the period of greatest susceptibility and
most rapid development his education is to a great degree in her hands.
To her first is given opportunity to mold the character for good or for
[194]
evil. She should understand the value of her opportunity and, above
every other teacher, should be qualified to use it to the best account. Yet
there is no other to whose training so little thought is given. The one
whose influence in education is most potent and far-reaching is the one
for whose assistance there is the least systematic effort.—
Education,
275 (1903)
.
Teach Your Children to Pray—My brethren and sisters, I urge
you to bring up your children in simplicity. Don’t scold them when
they do wrong, but take them to the Lord, and tell Him all about it.
When you kneel before God with your children, Christ is by your
side, and angels of God are all around you. Teach them to ask God to
forgive them for being cross and impatient. Bring up your children in
181