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Counsels for the Church
The husband and the wife are to co-operate. What a world we
would have if all mothers would consecrate themselves on the altar
of God, and would consecrate their offspring to God, both before and
after its birth!
The effect of prenatal influences is by many parents looked upon
as a matter of little moment; but heaven does not so regard it. The
message sent by an angel of God, and twice given in the most solemn
manner, shows it to be deserving of our most careful thought.
In the words spoken to the Hebrew mother [the wife of Manoah],
God speaks to all mothers in every age. “Let her beware,” the angel
said; “all that I commanded her let her observe.” The well-being of
the child will be affected by the habits of the mother. Her appetites
and passions are to be controlled by principle. There is something for
her to shun, something for her to work against, if she fulfills God’s
purpose for her in giving her a child.
The world is full of snares for the feet of the young. Multitudes are
attracted by a life of selfish and sensual pleasure. They cannot discern
the hidden dangers or the fearful ending of the path that seems to them
the way of happiness. Through the indulgence of appetite and passion,
their energies are wasted, and millions are ruined for this world and
for the world to come. Parents should remember that their children
must encounter these temptations. Even before the birth of the child,
the preparation should begin that will enable it to fight successfully
the battle against evil.
If before the birth of her child she is self-indulgent, if she is selfish,
impatient, and exacting, these traits will be reflected in the disposition
of the child. Thus many children have received as a birthright almost
unconquerable tendencies to evil.
But if the mother unswervingly adheres to right principles, if she
is temperate and self-denying, if she is kind, gentle, and unselfish, she
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may give her child these same precious traits of character.
Infant children are a mirror for the mother in which she may see
reflected her own habits and deportment. How careful, then, should
be her language and behavior in the presence of these little learners!
Whatever traits of character she wishes to see developed in them she
must cultivate in herself.