Parent Trap? Nope!
This past General Conference Elder Andersen, one of the Lord's Living apostles spoke on the subject of children. Unlike the worldly trends, our Church places great importance on the rearing and bearing of children, knowing that "it is a crowning privilege of a husband and wife who are able to bear children to provide mortal bodies for these spirit children of God."
Now that doesn't say that with privilege comes a life of ease. Nope, I would say the opposite is true. If anything, parenthood makes life harder. Perhaps this is what Elder Nelson, a father of ten, partly meant when he said:
"We came into this life to acquire a physical body. We may fall in love and be married. We may have children and experience the trials of mortal life. (Please forgive me for mentioning children and the trials of life in the same breath. I sense that they are both part of our growing process.)"
Can children be a trial in life? I would answer by paraphrasing Elder Scott, when was anything worthwhile ever easy? Yet, the blessings and profound feelings of love that come with parenthood are life-changing. Prior to being a parent, hearing of the suffering of children hurt, but not as much as hearing of the same when thinking of our own children now. It is such a privilege to love children. My heart ails for those who aren't able to have children, especially when they try so hard to have them in their life. What a blessing of the Lord are these children given to us. Truly, they help us to grow if we allow them. I have a friend that told me that adults don't have kids, kids make adults. I think this is true when the parents 'man up' to their responsibilities as parents.
