The Purpose of Parenting

Like Nephi, I can say I was “born of goodly parents.” My parents have done their best to raise my siblings and I in a home centered on the teachings of Jesus Christ, which I consider to be the greatest blessing of my life. I’ve had the blessing of watching my two older sisters take the step into marriage and parenthood before me. My oldest sister and her husband have a stubborn yet adorable 3-year-old boy and a little 10-month-old girl who is the sweetest thing I’ve ever laid my eyes on. My middle sister and her husband are expecting their first child in February. I have been able to see the courage and love of both my sisters and their husbands as they welcome precious spirits into their homes, as well as the diligence my own parents exemplified as they raised us. Although it’s easy to express my compliments on the way my family members have parented, they have all had their fair share of mistakes, struggles, doubts, and disappointments. But something I feel could give strength to those who have dragged a screaming toddler through the grocery store, or cried over how to help their struggling teenager, or wondered whether or not now is the right time to have children, is to remember the true purpose of parenting.

I’ve read several books and articles written by different doctors and psychologists on modern parenting techniques highlighting countless things parents need to stop doing and things they need to do or else their child will be permanently damaged. Although I believe it is incredibly valuable to gain knowledge through studies and diversify yourself with multiple views, focusing on the opinion of man can sometimes cause us to miss the mark. God has outlined quite simply what the purpose of parenting is through his prophets and apostles in The Family: A Proclamation to the World, which says, “Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live.”

Once again, I look to the example of my own family. My parents, like anyone else, aren’t perfect, but when I look back on my childhood and the way they’ve raised my siblings and I, I can say without a doubt that they followed and fulfilled God’s outline for parenting. When I see the struggles my sisters and their husbands go through for their children and yet the inadequacies they may still feel, I can’t help but see how they are striving to “rear their children in love and righteousness.”

It can be easy to look at your own inadequacies and become discouraged. Let us not forget that that discouragement isn’t coming from God but the adversary. Jeffery R. Holland said, “If you try your best to be the best parent you can be, you will have done all that a human being can do and all that god expects you to do.” As you seek obtain a greater understanding of the purpose of parenting, it can help you to feel less discouraged by inadequacies or get caught up in the complexities of differing modern parenting styles. You can have the peace of knowing you’re doing all you can to provide for your children and raise them in a loving home where they can learn and grow.