See Others as They May Become

 As a less than perfect mother, I can get a bit cranky as I deal daily with my less than perfect children.

 There is so much to teach these wonderful people I live with and in so little time.

And I’m not just talking just about academics or how to brush your teeth.

Are they getting the memo that they will have their own lives one day, some sooner than later, and that they will be the one in charge of their destiny?

Are they understanding with clarity that ONE day they will be the captain of THEIR ship?

As always, I was given food for thought from a prophet of God, Thomas S. Monson, in a talk he gave at General Conference, October 2012. (Link below)

His words helped me breathe a bit deeper and change my perceptions to start fresh and encourage my children even more today.

I need to relax and enjoy this “mothering” ride and do my best to be the kind of mother that gives her children what they desperately need…

LOVE … ACCEPTANCE …  and HOPEFUL PERSPECTIVE.

My thoughts:

**Look up and beyond the now at what they can and will become!

**I would only hope those who deal with my imperfections would do the same with me.

**Have vision of their potential for the most important people in our lives.

**Don’t get frustrated with the daily mistakes and rough edges we mothers witness on a continual basis.

**SEE THEM AS THEY CAN BECOME.

**TREAT THEM WITH RESPECT FOR WHO THEY ARE NOW.

Here is the General Conference talk, entitled “See Others as They May Become”.

(This article was written for young men and men, but I think it also applies to Mother’s raising children, especially sons.)

To end, here is a small make-you-smile story from that talk.

“During the 1940s and 1950s, an American prison warden, Clinton Duffy, was well known for his efforts to rehabilitate the men in his prison. Said one critic, “You should know that leopards don’t change their spots!”

Replied Warden Duffy, “You should know I don’t work with leopards. I work with men, and men change every day.”