Lately

At first, I really didn't like Adam working nights but now that he doesn't, I kind of miss my me time in the evenings. I got a lot of reading done while he was working. This is my latest read and, honestly, it was frightening but very interesting. It is clear to me that my biggest challenge as a parent is raising children who are not arrogant, lazy, obsessed with their looks and wealth, and completely in love with themselves. And it all comes down to one thing: staying connected to a loving Heavenly Father.

Here are a couple of frightening statistics:

*Within only two decades (1985-2006) there was a 30% increase of Narcissistic Personality Disorder among college students. 30% in only 20 years! That's insane!

*"In 2006, 51% of 18-25 year-olds said that 'becoming famous' was an important goal of their generation--nearly five times as many as named 'becoming more spiritual' as an important goal. A 2006 poll asked children in Britain to name 'the very best thing in the world.' The most popular answer was 'being a celebrity.' 'Good looks' and 'being rich' rounded out the top three... 'God' came in last."

How sad and scary is that?

I'm not posting this to depress anyone, as depressing as these facts are. As I was reading this book, which basically implies that we're going to hell in a hand-basket because we've turned into a self-obsessed culture, I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the gospel in my life. When people have no faith or belief in any kind of a higher power, their pride runs rampant. God is no longer the center of the universe, they are. And I am by no means saying that I am humble because I know I'm not. I have a long, long way to go. However, I know I'm not the center of the universe. I'm not anything but a decent person who is trying to do good things with my life. I'm so grateful for how well the gospel acts as a parenting guide. If I can point my children to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and teach them to trust and to believe in Them and to strive to emulate Them in all that they do, that's the best guard I have against pride. The other day James was looking at the picture of Jesus on the cross with Mary at his feet and he said, "Mom, is Mary crying because she's Jesus' mom and she's so, so sad that He's on the cross?" Such tender, thoughtful, empathetic words from a four year old. I hope he will always retain that child-like faith. In so many ways, I wish I were more like my children--forgiving, loving, complete faith and trust, and humble.