Father's Day

I have loved these suggestions from President Benson for a few years now and thought I'd include them in my blog. As a wife and mother, I hope I can always help pave the way for these things to happen regularly in my family.

From President Benson:

With love in my heart for the fathers in Israel, may I suggest ten specific ways that fathers can give spiritual leadership to their children:

1. Give father's blessings to your children. Baptize and confirm your children. Ordain your sons to the priesthood. These will become spiritual highlights in the lives of your children.

2. Personally direct family prayers, daily scripture reading, and weekly family home evenings. Your personal involvement will show your children how important these activities really are.

3. Whenever possible, attend Church meetings together as a family. Family worship under your leadership is vital to your children's spiritual welfare.

4. Go on daddy-daughter dates and fathers and sons outings with your children. As a family, go on campouts and picnics, to ball games and recitals, and to school programs. Having Dad there makes all the difference.

5. Build traditions of family vacations and trips and outings. These memories will never be forgotten by your children.

6. Have regular one-on-one visits with your children. Let them talk about what they would like to. Teach them gospel principles. Teach them true values. Tell them you love them. Personal time with your children tells them where Dad puts his priorities.

7. Teach your children to work and show them the value of working toward a worthy goal. Establishing mission funds and education funds for your children shows them what Dad considers important.

8. Encourage good music and art and literature in your homes. Homes that have a spirit of refinement and beauty will bless the lives of children forever.

9. As distances allow, regularly attend the temple with your wife. Your children will then better understand the importance of temple marriage and temple vows and the eternal family unit.

10. Have your children see your joy and satisfaction in service to the Church. This can become contagious to them, so they too will want to serve in the Church and love the kingdom.

Oh, husbands and fathers in Israel, you can do so much for the salvation and exaltation of your families. Your responsibilities are so important. Remember your sacred calling as a father in Israel-your most important calling in time and eternity-a calling from which you are never released.

May you always provide for the material needs of your family and with your eternal companion at your side, may you fulfill your sacred responsibility to provide the spiritual leadership in your home. (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p.511-512, CR October 1987, Ensign 17 [November 1987]: 50.)

Thanks to my own dad for teaching me these things in the most important way--by example. And thank you Joseph for implementing so many of these things already, even as our family is quite new and very young. Our children are so, so lucky to have you as their "daddy-o." I wonder if they will ever really comprehend it but I want you to know that I do--and I love you a hundred times more for it. You are an amazing dad. Happy Father's Day!