Family First Friday--Week #1 2014

For New Year's Eve, my teenagers had a stake party to attend, our little ones were in bed, Drew and I were home awaiting the time to retrieve our teens, and our recently returned missionary was home with us.  We were trying to figure out what to do and decided to watch a movie that came out while our missionary was serving.  We chose Man of Steel, the new Superman movie.

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During one scene, as we are learning about Superman's past, as a child on earth about 7 at the time, we see that he is completely overwhelmed by his senses.  He is in the classroom and as the sounds and sights become too much for him, he runs from the classroom and locks himself in a closet.  The teacher and the class follow him, ask him to let them in or to come out, and then they call his mother to the scene.  She stands outside the door and begins to talk to him.  Because he is comfortable and safe with her, he tells her his concerns and she helps him to refocus enough that he emerges from the closet.

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During that scene, I could not help but feel sincere appreciation for our Father in Heaven's plan.  He gave to each of us a mother and a father to guide us and help each child.  Mother's inherently know their children because of the amount of time they spend taking care of them.  Mothers who are trying to do what our Father in Heaven intends them to do, deeply care for their children and their welfare.  They know what struggles their children have.  They know how to talk to them so they are comforted.  They know what will get through to that child.

This of course, does not invalidate the father's role.  He too has a unique interest in his child and a specific role to fill in how his child develops.  The movie depicts both of Clark's fathers fulfilling their responsibilities to him, his birth father and his adoptive father.  I loved the perspective that Clark Kent had two sets of parents who loved him, sacrificed for him, made provisions for him, and each did what they thought was best for him and gave of themselves----true parenthood, sacrificing of self for the growing generation.  Of course, in the movie, as it should be in real life, the sacrifice was for what the parents felt were moral reasons.

What a wonderful gift---individually tailored assistants, tutors, nurses, counselors, guides, teachers, psychologists, etc...  If each of us parented like that.....what an amazing world we would have!!  Even though that is not each person's reality, it is what was intended by the plan.

Our Father in Heaven knew we would not be perfect, but He also knew, that if given the chance, most of us would step up and learn to love and fulfill the responsibilities placed upon us by parenthood.

When I dropped my teens off at the stake activity, I spoke with another mother and father of 10, who were expressing their concerns for their youngest who is 11.  They shared specific details of his personality and why they are concerned.  The mother talked about the specialists she is looking at to help him with her concerns and the prayers she is offering to know how to help him.  The father spoke of their discussions with their doctor and his counsel and advice.  Those are the same things I do to help my children and I am sure they are the same things you do to help yours.

Isn't it a wonderful thing that the most powerful being in the universe cares so much about each of us that He gave us each other.  Now I know there are some mothers who do not understand their role, or take responsibility for it, but those are the exception, not the rule.  And provisions are also made for those who are not capable or willing to be parents to allow others to fulfill that role for their children.  The parents I spoke of above actually adopted the particular child I was speaking of.  And of course, Clark Kent's (Superman) mother on earth, found him, but she still loved him and cared for him as if he were her own.

Love does not come through biology.  It comes because of service and sacrifice.  If you do not have it for your children today or for the teen they have become, or if love in your marriage has grown cold, you can have it back.  Start serving and sacrificing for the person you need your love to grow for.  It will come in time.  But that can be an entire post all on its own.

I just thought that scene in the movie was a beautiful description of an eternal truth.  It is something we can all strive for.  Happy New Year!