While living in Singapore, I came home late one afternoon to find our children strangely alert to my arrival. They greeted me, smiled, and seemed unusually attentive. Clearly, something was up. “What is going on?” I finally asked. “Nothing,” they said with smirks impossible to hide.
I coaxed until someone finally revealed that they had made blue slime … which somehow ended up plastered to a very high ceiling. “But don’t worry Mom, we cleaned it all up! Look!” I looked up, and they had done an impeccable job; only a slightly damp spot remained. They were so proud and even showed me a time-lapse video of their "successful" endeavor. I saw a mix of tennis racquets, broomsticks, and dust pans. Their ingenuity was impressive.
With their camera angle, I still couldn’t figure out how they had reached such heights. But they had photo evidence. They enthusiastically described how they had carefully constructed a mountain of kitchen chairs to support a step stool. My heart skipped a beat. A topple from that height onto a hard tile floor could have landed someone in the hospital with broken bones or worse. While I was grateful for their cleanup, I was more grateful we weren’t in the emergency room!
That moment caused me to reflect on my parenting. They were clearly more scared of asking me for help than they were of risking injury! President Dieter F. Uchtdorf once offered these encouraging words: “Parents, thank you for everything you’re doing to raise your children. And children, thank you for everything you’re doing to raise your parents, because as every parent knows, we often learn as much from our children about faith, hope, and charity as they learn from us!”[1] His talk was aptly named, “Jesus Christ Is the Strength of Parents.”
In his first message following the passing of President Russell M. Nelson, President Dallin H. Oaks reemphasized that our relationship to God and the purpose of mortality are explained in terms of the family. “We can truly say that the gospel plan was first taught to us in the council of an eternal family, it is implemented through our mortal families, and its intended destiny is to exalt the children of God in eternal families.”
He continued: “Latter-day Saints still have a God-given responsibility to teach their children to prepare for our family destiny in eternity. Many of us must do this when not all of our families are traditional. Divorce, death, and separation are realities.”
“Parents, single or married—and others, like grandparents, who fill that role for children—are the master teachers. Their most effective teaching is by example. The family circle is the ideal place to demonstrate and learn eternal values, such as the importance of marriage and children, the purpose of life, and the true source of joy.”[2]
“The Family: A Proclamation to the World” reminds us that “Children are an heritage of the Lord.”[3] I felt this deeply during the years we lived in Asia. Shortly after moving to Hong Kong, my husband and I met with an attorney regarding our Visas. We brought our three-month-old infant to the meeting. As the attorney passed us documents to sign, he paused, tilted his head back, and told us about a dream he had years earlier.
In his dream, he was seated at a table as large as the one where we sat. He was at one end and his wife at the other. There were four to five children lining each side. His voice trailed off as he lamented that his dream was not his reality. This man reminded me that children truly are a gift.
President Oaks taught us that “Family bonds are also strengthened by family stories, creating family traditions, and sharing sacred experiences.”[4]
One tradition we established was on the morning of our children’s baptisms. We would wake them up before sunrise. Still in their pajamas, my husband would wrap them in a blanket and drive them 45 minutes to the Nashville Tennessee Temple.
During the drive on narrow, rural roads, they would talk about the road signs indicating the curves ahead and "no passing" zones. He would then drive over the rumble strips on the edge of the road to demonstrate the warnings provided from veering off. He drew parallels between all of these markers and the teachings of Jesus Christ and His prophets. Following the road signs brought them safely to the temple; following the Savior would bring them safely to their heavenly home. Upon arriving, he walked them to the temple doors to see smiling temple workers dressed in white standing inside. Then, they watched the sun rise, discussing how baptism is like a new dawn. It was a truly memorable morning.
Finally, President Oaks taught, “Parents also have a duty to teach their children practical knowledge apart from gospel principles … Families flourish when they learn as a group and counsel together on all matters of concern to the family and its members.”[5]
Our family home evenings have included a wide range of topics such as compound interest, AI, job interviewing, dating etiquette, leadership, dating etiquette—oh wait, I already mentioned that, didn’t I? We do still have five single children—and especially procrastination. We’ve made our kids watch the “Procrastination Monkey” TED Talk enough times that we can take credit for a good portion of its 61 million views. You're welcome, TED.
Family life is a mix of the sacred and the practical, of blue slime on the ceiling and sunrises at the temple. I invite you to be intentional in following the prophet’s counsel to establish traditions and habits that will unite and strengthen your families now and in the future. Jesus Christ is the strength of parents. He is the strength of marriages. And Jesus Christ is the strength of families. My greatest joys have come from nurturing my marriage and family relationships. I testify that as we strive to strengthen our families, the Lord will magnify our efforts. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Jesus Christ Is the Strength of Parents,” Liahona, Apr. 2023
[2] Dallin H. Oaks, “The Family-Centered Gospel of Jesus Christ,” Liahona, Oct. 2025
[3] “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” Gospel Library
[4] Dallin H. Oaks, “The Family-Centered Gospel of Jesus Christ,” Liahona, Oct. 2025
[5] Dallin H. Oaks, “The Family-Centered Gospel of Jesus Christ,” Liahona, Oct. 2025