moral discipline

this past sunday our lesson in relief society was on moral discipline.  i read the following quote...

editorial writers at the wall street journal once observed: "sin isn't something that many people, including most churches, have spent much time talking about or worrying about through the years of the {sexual} revolution.  but we will say this for sin: it at least offered a frame of reference for personal behavior.  when the gram was dismantled, guilt wasn't the only thing that fell away; we also lost the guidwire of personal responsibility. 

the united states has a drug problem and a high-school sex problem and a welfare problem and an aids problem and a rape problem.  none of this will go away until more people in positions of responsibility are willing to come forward and explain, in frankly moral terms, that some of the things that people do nowadays are wrong."  {"the joy of what?" wall street journal, dec. 12, 1991, a14}

obviously this lesson stuck with me and i hope for all of you in our ward it did the same.  while discussing this, the responsibility of parents was brought up...  say what?  who is supposed to be responsible for our kids that we birth and provide a home, food, and clothing for?  that's right people we as parents are responsible! we cannot rely on school, church, friends, tv, the playground, magazines and books to be teaching our children what is right and what is wrong.  and ps... grow a backbone and tell your kids "no" and be consistent.  consistency is the key here.  my friend colby read my mind when she said, your kids might not be your friend for the first 20 years of their life, but after that they will.  i would rather have my children come to me not only because i am their mother, but because they can trust me and will have a much greater appreciation and respect for me as their mother. 

its crazy too because even when you tell your kids no and have to discipline them after they do something of poor choice... you know they are going to turn around and come to you for comfort.  crazy how that works out! 

ok so not only do we need to be teaching our children right and wrong, we  need to be practicing this ourselves.  we can't be afraid to stand up in the crowd and say no or that isn't cool or correct people when outlandish things are said.  it's time to take a stand people! 

we also need to take personal responsibility for our actions... not just the good ones but also the bad and the ugly.  we all make bad choices!  i know i have made plenty of bad choices to last me another lifetime ... thank goodness for repentance {forgiving & forsaking}. 

thanks aimee for the great lesson!  i seriously look forward to the 4th sunday lesson's when aimee is going to teach!   

ps - if anyone would like to read more about moral discipline the talk was from this last general conference and was given by elder d.todd christofferson.  http://www.lds.org/