Poster Article:
Honoring Parents

Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right (Eph. 6:1).

How do we show Heavenly Father that we love Him? We give thanks for all He gives us, we talk to Him in prayer each day, we treat Him with reverence, and we obey His commandments. Heavenly Father commands us to also honor our earthly parents by doing some of the same things—obeying them, showing them love and gratitude, and respecting them.

In 1974, the First Presidency stated: “Honoring your parents by living a good life and by showing them that you love and appreciate them are gifts that last forever. To your earthly mother and father and to your Heavenly Parents, you are their most valuable treasure. Their love and concern for you never ends” (Friend, Dec. 1974, 3). We can trust our parents to want what is best for us. They love us and want us to be happy. One way we can find happiness is by obeying them.

The most important way to honor our parents is to live the gospel. Elder H. Aldridge Gillespie of the Seventy said, “Honoring your parents … means doing what Heavenly Father wants you to do. … If you will … be good, you will bring great honor to your parents’ name” (Friend, Jun. 2003, 9).

Activities and Ideas

1. Interview your parents using the questions on page 33. (You may want to make a copy of the questions so you have one for each parent.) After you have written your parents’ answers and your own answers, compare them to see how similar or different you are from how your parents were as children. You may want to keep the pages for your scrapbook or journal.

2. For a family home evening activity, copy page 33 for each of your brothers and sisters. Pretend to be reporters by taking turns asking your parents questions. Then fill out the other questions individually and share your answers with each other.

3. For a family home evening lesson or Primary talk, discuss Elder Gillespie’s statement, “Honoring your parents … means doing what Heavenly Father wants you to do.” In advance, ask your parents how they feel honored when you follow the commandments. Share their answers as part of your talk or lesson. Then list ways you can honor both Heavenly Father and your earthly parents at the same time (by being obedient, kind, helpful, etc.).

Illustrated by Matt Smith

When you were my age …

1. Did you have a pet? What was it? ___________ .

2. What was your favorite thing to do when you had free time? ___________ .

3. What was your favorite snack? ___________ .

4. Who was your favorite friend, and why? ___________ .

5. What was a difficult challenge you faced, and how did you overcome it? ___________ .

6. What kind of clothes did you wear? ___________ .

7. What was your favorite Primary song? ___________ .

8. What is your favorite memory about your parents? ___________ .

9. Who was one of your favorite Primary teachers? What do you remember about him or her? ___________ .

10. What was your favorite family tradition? ___________ .

Let me tell you about myself …

1. My favorite pet (or a pet I’d like to have someday) is ___________ .

2. My favorite thing to do when I have free time is ___________ .

3. My favorite snack is ___________ .

4. My favorite friend is ___________ because ___________ .

5. My most difficult challenge is ___________ .

   I can overcome it by ___________ .

6. My favorite thing to wear is ___________ .

7. My favorite Primary song is ___________ .

8. My favorite memory about my parents is ___________ .

9. One of my favorite Primary teachers is ___________ .

10. My favorite family tradition is ___________ .

Illustrated by Matt Smith