The Family

The Family:  A Proclamation to the World

I am taking a class on The Family:  A Proclamation to the World through Brigham Young University - Idaho.  First unit and already I am learning things I didn't know before.  Such as the earth was created for families to exist.  Families are central in our theology to God's plan for our happiness. 

       When I was a teenager, I envisioned the life I would have as an adult.  I wanted nothing more than to be a mother.  I imagined having six children, all dressed in white, sitting on the porch, sipping lemonade, and waiting for Father to come home.  Father was tall, handsome and rich.  I imagined my home to be decorated with white furnishings and brightly colored accents.  I knew I would have a job chart and each child would take joy in completing their assignments.  In my gourmet kitchen, I would whip up fancy dinners and have intelligent conversation with my family each night around the dinner table.  Once a week, the family would gather around for a musical family concert.  Each child would excel in the instrument of their choosing. 

        As my life progressed, I realized some things that weren’t part of the dream.  I didn’t realize that my handsome husband brought sawdust into the house each evening when he came home.   I didn’t realize that I didn’t know what to do with a newborn.  When he cried for the first time, I would have to refer to the instructions given to me at the hospital to figure out what to do with him.  I could have never imagined fear the night we had to bring our baby boy to the emergency room for a life and death situation.  I didn’t know the secret to finishing a sewing project is giving three preschoolers a box of ice pops while they watch TV.

        My child taught me that they would only like tuna casserole and spaghetti and that one would declare herself a vegetarian at age eight.  Cats didn’t like the litter box  but they loved to scratch at the furniture in the living room.  And, the idea of the job chart where every one accomplished their tasks with joy only lasted a week.    No one ever told me that 12 year old cooking could burn your house down.  Lastly, no one ever told me that each children would be so completely different and I would have to adjust my parenting skills.  

My dreams of a classical music family got clouded up by one word - practice.   One family night we did have a family concert. Stacey played the flute, Bry played the piano, trumpet and French horn and Jess was starting the viola. Jess went first. She kept us waiting be cause she was getting ready. She came out of her room wearing dads cowboy boots, my prom gown, bright red lipsticks and a pillow on her head. She started to play. Her first song was jingle bells. It sounded just like can can. Her second was can can. It sounded just like jingle bells. The while time she was playing she was flipping her music right side up and upside down. We couldn't stop laughing which got her so angry that she place her viola in the case and slammed it shut and stormed off.

        All in all I can truly say that the reality was far better than the dream

​The reality brought with it dance recitals, piano recitals, school concerts, field trips, sleepovers, pranks, pep rallies, friends, and marching band.  It brought camping trips, vacations, favorite songs, and family activities.  It also brought heart ache, grief, forgiveness and learning faith.

​Reality has taught me time does, indeed, move on.  My three little kids are now three grown adults.  Each has brought a new dimension into my life.  We all share the same memories but we see the world differently.  Reality has taught me that my three little children were never meant to be perfect or to be clones of myself and my husband.  They are each individuals with their own desires, talents and challenges.