Global Day of Parents, observed on June 1, “provides an opportunity to appreciate all parents in all parts of the world for their selfless commitment to children and their lifelong sacrifice towards nurturing this relationship” (www.un.org/en/events/parentsday).
Likewise, the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints emphasize the vital role of parenthood. In 1995, the First Presidency of the Church published a document entitled “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” which declares, “Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live.”
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Emphasizing the critical role of parents in the rearing of children, the organizers of Global Day of Parents recognize that for the full and harmonious development of a child’s personality, every child should grow up in a family environment and in an atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding.
Similarly, Church leaders name the family “the fundamental unit of society” and call upon “officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World”).
Canadian Mormons share how parenthood has enriched their lives:
Verina Goobie, a Church member from Brampton, Ontario, states, “As our daughter is about to give birth to their first baby, my thoughts are focused on that process. Before we can deliver the precious bundle, we must labour. It is called labour for a reason; it is work. This is a labour of love that lasts a lifetime. It does not end when the baby is born or even when the [baby] is grown. It is a labour that has helped me cross that invisible life-changing threshold from caring more about myself to caring more about another.”
Maria Bunt, another Church member from Brampton, Ontario, believes the biggest blessing that comes from being a parent is experiencing the love her children give her. She says, “In the wee hours of the night when my four-year-old sneaks into my bed and says, ‘Momma, I love you, ... let me see your face,’ [and] when I see my sweet four-month-old look at me while I nurse her, it’s love with no expectations, and that is the greatest blessing of having kids for me.”
Mahonri Contreras, a Church member from Kitchener, Ontario, and a first-time father to a two-month-old daughter, shares, “My ability to love, understand and trust my Heavenly Father has grown immensely by the arrival of my daughter.”
MaryAnn Kemp, a Church member from Cambridge, Ontario, adds, “I’ve seen countless ways that [parenthood has] blessed me, one of them being the increased capacity to love. I never knew my heart could feel as though it’s grown or expanded, but it has! It’s also more tender and soft.”
A fundamental teaching of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is that families are eternal. Currently there are 156 temples in operation throughout the world, temples where worthy Latter-day Saints make promises with God and are sealed as families for eternity. This sealing ordinance is an essential part of our Heavenly Father’s plan for us to live with Him eternally (see “The Sealing Ordinance Links Families Eternally,” Ensign, September 2011).
The Church doctrine of eternal families gives Mormons the motivation to treat the responsibility of parenthood as both vital and sacred.
Contributed by Mary Chapman