Mothers

• Judges 13: 3-5…When Manoah’s wife was to become pregnant, the Lord asked her not to drink wine, nor strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing.
• Alma 56: 47-48…2000 warriors were taught the gospel by their Mothers
• “…No other experiences of life draw us nearer to heaven than those that exist between happy parents and happy children.” (Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, Nov. 1994, 54)
• Spencer W. Kimball “The Lord has given to all of us, as holders of the priesthood, certain of this authority, but we can only tap the powers of heaven on the basis of our personal righteousness. Thus, for the power of the priesthood to be truly felt in a family requires the righteousness of the men and young men therein. Our relationship with our wives, mothers, and sisters is one in which we kneel together, whether at the altars of the temple or in our own homes; we serve together, side by side, a beautiful partnership.” From the Book “Priesthood” printed in 1981
• President Thomas S. Monson, “To you parents, express your love to your children. Pray for them that they may be able to withstand the evils of the world. Pray that they may brow in faith and testimony. Pray that they may pursue lives of goodness and of service to others. Children, let your parents know you love them. Let them know how much you appreciate all they have done and continue to do for you.”
• “While we may despair when, after all, we can do, some of our children stray from the path of righteousness, the words of Orson F. Whitney can comfort us: “Though some of the sheep may wander, the eye of the Shepherd is upon them, and sooner or later they will feel the tentacles of Divine Providence reaching out after them and drawing them back to the fold. Either in this life or the life to come, they will return. They will have to pay their debt to justice; they will suffer for their sins; and may tread a thorny path; but if it leads them at last, like the penitent Prodigal, to a loving and forgiving (mother’s and) father’s heart and home, the painful experience will not have been in vain. Pray for (our) careless and disobedient children; hold on to them with (our) faith. Hope on, trust on, till you see the salvation of God” (quoting Joseph Smith, in Conference Report, April 1929, 110.
• Elder Richard G. Scott, Ensign May 1993, 34, “Some of you have children who do not respond to you, choosing entirely different paths. Father in Heaven has repeatedly had that same experience. While some of His children have used His gift of agency to make choices against His counsel, He continues to love them. Yet, I am sure, He has never blamed Himself for their unwise choices.”
• Isaiah 3:16-23…16 Moreover, the Lord saith: Because the daughters of Zion are haughty and walk with stretched-forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet—17 Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will discover their secret parts. 18 In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments, and cauls, and round tires like the moon; 19 The chains and the bracelets, and the mufflers; 20 The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the ear-rings;21 The rings, and nose jewels; 22 The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping-pins; 23 The glasses, and the fine linen, and hoods, and the veils. 24 And it shall come to pass, instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle, a rent; and instead of well-set hair, baldness; and instead of a stomacher, a girding of sackcloth; burning instead of beauty.
• “In speaking of mothers generally, I especially wish to praise and encourage young mothers. The work of a mother is hard, too often unheralded work. The young years are often those when either husband or wife—or both—may still be in school or in those earliest and leanest stages of developing the husband’s bread-winning capacities. Finances fluctuate daily between low and nonexistent. The apartment is usually decorated in one of two smart designs: Deseret Industries provincial or early Mother Hubbard. The car, if there is one, runs on smooth tires and an empty tank. But with night feedings and night teething’s, often the greatest challenge of all for a young mother is simply fatigue. Through these years, mothers go longer on less sleep and give more to others with less personal renewal for themselves than any other group I know at any other time in life. It is not surprising when the shadows under their eyes sometimes vaguely resemble the state of Rhode Island. Of course, the irony is that this is often the sister we want to call—or need to call—to service in the ward and stake auxiliaries. That’s understandable. Who wouldn’t want the exemplary influence of these young Loises- and Eunices-in-the-making? It would be well for leaders to be wise, to remember that families are the highest priority of all, especially in those formative years. Even so, young mothers will still find magnificent ways to serve faithfully in the Church, even as others serve and strengthen them—and their families—in like manner. Do the best you can through these years, but whatever else you do, cherish that role that is so uniquely yours and for which heaven itself sends angels to watch over you and your little ones. Husbands—especially husbands—as well as Church leaders and friends in every direction, be helpful and sensitive and wise. Remember, “To everything, there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” ().” Broken Things to Mend (Jeffrey R. Holland) Kindle Loc. 221-35
• “You have every right to receive encouragement and to know in the end your children will call your name blessed, just like those generations of foremothers before you who hoped your same hopes and felt your same fears. Yours is the grand tradition of Eve, the mother of all the human family, the one who understood that she and Adam had to fall in order that “men [and women] might be” and that there would be joy (). Yours is the grand tradition of Sarah and Rebekah and Rachel, without whom there could not have been those magnificent patriarchal promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that bless us all. Yours is the grand tradition of Lois and Eunice and the mothers of the 2,000 stripling warriors. Yours is the grand tradition of Mary, chosen and foreordained from before this world was, to conceive, carry, and bear the Son of God Himself. We thank all of you, including our own mothers, and tell you there is nothing more important in this world than participating so directly in the work and glory of God, in bringing to pass the mortality and earthly life of His daughters and sons, so that immortality and eternal life can come in those celestial realms on high.” Broken Things to Mend (Jeffrey R. Holland) Kindle Loc. 262-71
• “Rely on Him. Rely on Him heavily. Rely on Him forever. And “press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope” (). You are doing God’s work. You are doing it wonderfully well. He is blessing you and He will bless you, even—no, especially—when your days and your nights may be the most challenging. Like the woman who anonymously, meekly, perhaps even with hesitation and some embarrassment, fought her way through the crowd just to touch the hem of the Master’s garment, so Christ will say to the women who worry and wonder and sometimes weep over their responsibility as mothers, “Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole” (). And faith—yours and your children’s—will make your children whole as well.” Broken Things to Mend (Jeffrey R. Holland) Kindle Loc. 279-85
• “When the real history of mankind is fully disclosed, will it feature the echoes of gunfire or the shaping sound of lullabies? The great armistices made by military men or the peacemaking of women in homes and in neighborhoods? Will what happened in cradles and kitchens prove to be more controlling than what happened in congresses?” (Neal A. Maxwell, Ensign, May 1987, 10-11)
• … Behold, the Lamanites your brethren, whom ye hate because of their filthiness and the cursing which hath come upon their skins, are more righteous than you; for they have not forgotten the commandment of the Lord, which was given unto our father—that they should have save it were one wife, and concubines they should have none, and there should not be whoredoms committed among them.6 And now, this commandment they observe to keep; wherefore, because of this observance, in keeping this commandment, the Lord God will not destroy them, but will be merciful unto them; and one day they shall become a blessed people.7 Behold, their husbands love their wives, and their wives love their husbands; and their husbands and their wives love their children; and their unbelief and their hatred towards you is because of the iniquity of their fathers; wherefore, how much better are you than they, in the sight of your great Creator?
• “THE BREASTS represent the mothering principle. When there are problems with the breasts, it usually means we are “over-mothering” either a person, a place, a thing, or an experience. Part of the mothering process is to allow the child to “grow up.” We need to know when to take our hands off when to turn over the reins and let them be. Being overprotective does not prepare the other person to handle his or her own experience. Sometimes our “overbearing” attitudes literally cut off nourishment in a situation.”  You Can Heal Your Life(Louise Hay) Page 129
• “Time is a precious commodity in our lives. Many well-meaning parents unintentionally limit their availability to be with their children because of important business, social, and charitable commitments. “While it is not possible to create universal rules regarding time,” Hausner says, “learning effective parenting techniques can make the time you spend with your children meaningful, memorable, and special, so that you are, in a sense, with them even when you are not.” Many observers have pointed out that the quality of time we spend with our children is just as important as the quantity.” Wealth in Families Third Edition (Charles W. Collier) Page 42
• 1 Kings 3:1 -28…. The story of King Solomon, two women disputing whose son was whose, and his wise decision to divide the child in two between them so he could discover who the real mother was.
• “When the real history of mankind is fully disclosed, will it feature the echoes of gunfire or the shaping sound of lullabies? The great armistices made by military men or the peacemaking of women in homes and in neighborhoods? Will what happened in cradles and kitchens prove to be more controlling than what happened in congresses?”  (Neal A. Maxwell, Ensign, May 1987, 10-11)
• Jacob 3: 5-7… Behold, the Lamanites your brethren, whom ye hate because of their filthiness and the cursing which hath come upon their skins, are more righteous than you; for they have not forgotten the commandment of the Lord, which was given unto our father—that they should have save it were one wife, and concubines they should have none, and there should not be whoredoms committed among them. 6 And now, this commandment they observe to keep; wherefore, because of this observance, in keeping this commandment, the Lord God will not destroy them, but will be merciful unto them; and one day they shall become a blessed people. 7 Behold, their husbands love their wives, and their wives love their husbands; and their husbands and their wives love their children; and their unbelief and their hatred towards you is because of the iniquity of their fathers; wherefore, how much better are you than they, in the sight of your great Creator?
• “I think about the fact that Grant, Kobe and I had strong fathers. I know people are concerned about the behavior of some young players, but it starts at home. I’ve always said that. I wish some of the other guys in the league could have had fathers at home, just to see what it’s like, just to see how much better people they could be. Some of the background for the decisions, the evaluations, the choices you have to make, come from when you were at home growing up. Two-parent homes aren’t as prevalent anymore.  Single-parent, either way, you’re missing the opposite influence of the missing parent. I had both parents. It helped my decision-making immensely. Especially now that I am a father, making choices like a father, talking to my kids. Like my father did with me.”  This as-told-to, from Michael Jordan, was originally published in the April 6, 1998, issue of ESPN The Magazine.
• “In the United States, about 70% of mothers with young children now have jobs outside the home — up from 10% in 1940.”- Eric Bettinger
• “What a mother teaches a child doesn’t get erased.” Are We Not All Mothers?, Sheri L. Dew