May Family Home Evening

FHE Lesson      —   Let’s think about MOM!

What a  Mother Wants

by Marie Scott

May 2014

It takes a man and a woman to create a baby, in partnership with God, who creates all the spirits of all the babies ever born. But Mom gives of her very body as the host in the creation, and because of that she also makes a big emotional investment. Most mothers love their babies inherently, even when they’re inconvenienced, and that love grows as she cares for the baby. God also gave mothers an extra dab of compassion, and a mix of other things that make women ideal as nurturers.

The ideal family unit can be made up of a couple, or a couple with children. The family unit is the most important social unit in God’s universe. It gives us each a special place, and people to whom we belong, as well as natural love, in this vast universe. It is little wonder that Satan works so hard to destroy it, and in destroying the family, he attacks womanhood and manhood in every possible way. A crumbled family causes crumbled security.

Since May is the month of Mother’s Day, this lesson focuses on mothers, and what they want.

What do mothers want?

            Mothers want their family members to understand the importance of the family unit, and to help do the work required to keep the home going.  It not only requires organization to run a family, but cooperation by every family member old enough to help out. If everyone doesn’t help out, either the mother or the father, or sometimes a child, becomes the sacrificial lamb doing most of the work of the home.

Is there a sacrificial lamb at your house, or does everyone work together to help out?

            Elder M. Russell Ballard, in the article “Mothers and Daughters,” in the May 2010 Ensign says

:

                        It is, unfortunately, all too easy to illustrate the confusion and distortion

                        of womanhood in contemporary society. Immodest, immoral, intemperate

                        women jam the airwaves, monopolize magazines, and slink across movie

                        screens—all while being celebrated by the world.

                        Popular culture today often makes women look silly, inconsequential,

                        mindless, and powerless. It objectifies them and disrespects them and

                        then suggests that they are able to leave their mark on mankind only

                        by seduction—easily the most pervasively dangerous message the

                        adversary sends to women about themselves.

            Mothers want love and respect. Motherhood is not a silly or inconsequential occupation. Mothers work very hard doing many different kinds of things such as, counseling, nursing, cleaning, cooking, taxiing, tutoring, and teaching. The mother of the home is usually involved, in some way, with nearly everything every family member does. She may also work at a job outside the home to help supplement the family income. She’s the busy secretary of the family. She wants to be taken seriously.

An effective mother cannot be mindless, and a good mother is certainly not powerless. She can have the greatest power for good over her children, than anyone else on earth.  She does this largely through love and service, and by setting a good example. A true mother deserves the love and respect of not only her husband and children, but also from a world that, sadly, does not give it to her.

In “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” it says:

            “  . . . By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners.”  (Ensign, November 1995, 102)

Mothers want to be treated as equals rather than servants, even though they choose to fill a role heavy on service in the home. Motherhood requires a woman to become vulnerable and give up a lot of her independence in order to bear and nurture a baby. This necessarily puts her at a disadvantage for indefinite periods of time as she puts the needs of a helpless baby ahead of her own. Until the child is raised, the mother often puts her own needs after that of her children. Sometimes Mom, and family members, get in the habit of putting Mom’s needs last all the time.

Do Mother’s needs always come last at your house?

            In the article, “Mother Told Me,” in the May 2010 Ensign, Elder Bradley D. Foster says:

           

                        Perhaps the reason we respond so universally to our mothers’ love is

because it typifies the love of our Savior. As President Joseph F. Smith

said, “The love of a true mother comes nearer [to] being like the love

of God than any other kind of love.” (“The Love of Mother,” Improvement Era,

 Jan. 1910, 278)  

            More than anything, a true mother wants just what our Heavenly Father wants for all His children. She wants healthy, happy children to spend time with and love forever.  She wants children who grow up to be good, responsible adults who love Heavenly Father and their fellow man. She wants her children to grow up active in the Church, to marry in the Temple, and to keep the Lord’s commandments. Then she wants grandchildren who do all of the same. She wants all of this because she loves her family so much.

            Childless women, who wish to have children and can’t, still want all those same things. It is a righteous desire to have and raise a family, and it is a privilege to be able to do so. (Read the wonderful article, “My Search for Motherhood,” by Linda Longhurst, in the April 2012 Ensign.) Whatever else a mother may accomplish in her life, the bearing, raising, and nurturing of her children will always be of paramount importance.

Teaching and practicing respect for womanhood in the home helps girls feel better about themselves, and helps boys see women more as our Father in Heaven does. It helps all children to act in appropriate ways towards members of the opposite sex as they grow up.

Go ahead, cherish your mother. A loved, happy, and healthy mother is going to make for a happier, healthier family. Take good care of Mom and everybody wins!

Family Activities:

           

1.      Have family members each list what they think Mom wants.  Compare these lists to Mom’s list.

2.      Play the “Mother Will You?” game.  Learn more about what Mom faces each day.

3.      Make Mother’s Day cards, or plan a special day just to honor Mom.