Children

Elder Neil L. Anderson's talk on children during the October 2011 General Conference was AMAZING! There are so many great things I learned. One of my favorite quotes was when he talked about a blog that he had read and the Christian mother, not of our faith, said "Motherhood is not a hobby, it is a calling. You do not collect children because you find them cuter than stamps. It is not something to do if you can squeeze the time in. It is what God gave you time for." We were commanded to multiply and replenish the Earth. If we feel as though we don't have time to have kids we may need to evaluate what our priorities are. I am not currently married but I know that when I do marry having children will be a top priority for me. Having children terrifies me, but it is what the Lord has commanded me to do. 

I also loved when Elder Anderson talked about not judging other people's decisions on when to start their family or on how many kids they want. Everybody's situations is different. I liked the story he shared about President Dorius and his wife and how they weren't able to have children or adopt children for 25 years. People questioned them and asked about his ability to be a bishop when he no children of his own. They didn't know their circumstances and that they had tried, they just knew they didn't have any. He touched on a really important matter of how the subject of child bearing can be a heartbreaking matter to some righteous couples who are unable to have kids. I think we need to be sensitive to each person's individual experience and not jump to conclusions that they just don't want kids, they don't want a big family or whatever the circumstance may be.

Listen to Elder Anderson's talk and let me know what you think.