Do you ever wonder how much your child is actually learning in Primary? Do you wonder if they are “getting it”? More importantly, do you worry about whether or not you are teaching them enough about the Gospel when you have those opportunities come up, or even when you don’t? I do.
But, I am continually surprised by how much my daughter is learning, in fact. She is 5 and in the CTR class at church. She is not a morning person. We have the reverse block, which puts primary first at 9 am. I look over at her and she seems glassy eyed, tired, and is frequently yawning. I don’t often see her singing the songs too well. The perfectionist in me is screaming, “Sing!! Why aren’t you singing?” My first thought was that she didn’t know the songs, but I finally asked her after church one Sunday. “Why don’t you sing in primary?” She replied simply, “Because I’m too tired”. But, I frequently hear her humming the tunes to herself, or singing the songs at other times when she is more awake and I realize that she is getting it. She’s soaking it in.
There is something to be said for taking your child to church every Sunday. It can be brutal. I’m the first to admit. Sometimes you don’t want to fight the battle of getting them dressed, getting up early, or the dreaded: “I don’t want to go to church!!” (and let’s not forget the stomping of feet). But, I firmly believe that as we make an effort to get our kids there, they will pay enough attention to learn something!
Growing up, we had family home evening now and then. My parents tried, but it was never super consistent. So much of what I learned was from attending primary every week. Church was not really an option growing up. They may not have done everything else perfectly, but they did get us there to church every week, and even threatened to take us in our PJs if we didn’t hurry up and get ready. And, I believed they would have done just that.
So, I guess my point isn’t to let someone else teach your children, but to be consistent and teach them through your own actions. As you take them to church diligently every single week, they will learn something there, but more importantly, they will learn from you that church is where they are supposed to be on Sunday mornings. And that’s just that.
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