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Supporting My Children in Seminary
At this wonderful time of great opportunities and technological advances, our children need to have a secure anchor where they can learn how to receive revelation, come to know the Savior through guided scripture study, and act righteously when faced with opportunities to show their faith and courage. As parents, our job is to teach, provide, and guide our children to have experiences that will facilitate their conversion to the gospel, enabling them to find happiness in this life and in the life to come by living a Christ-centered life.
President Boyd K. Packer (1924–2015), President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, taught, “Parents, encourage, even insist, that your students register for seminary or institute. Presidents, bishops, youth leaders, you are responsible to encourage every youngster, without exception, to enroll. Few things you do will benefit them quite as much.”1 I like President Packer’s emphasis on encouraging and insisting. He knew of the great blessings that come from participating in seminary and of how excellent your children will become because of it.
I would like to encourage you to register your children for seminary using the following website, which will also work on your mobile devices: myseminary.lds.org. Not only will this app allow you to register your children for seminary (which is extremely important to be able to gain approval to use the students’ information in the system, etc.), but as parents, you can also view your children’s development and history throughout the course, monitor and update their reading, and see what assignments they have to complete in case they need to improve their attendance to get credits.
Leaders can also use this tool to verify the progress of the youth at the ward and stake level. This is useful for measuring whether the program is accomplishing the established goals on a monthly basis, for making any adjustments to their plans, and for continuing to bless the youth under their jurisdiction.
We would like to show the registration process through this tutorial. The video shows the registration steps, and it also explains the benefits that it offers you as parents when you register your children for seminary this way.
Registration opens up one month before the beginning of the new school year and ends on the last day of the school year (this means that youth can enroll in seminary anytime during the year, whether they are baptized in the Church or learn about the program during the year).
We know that regular seminary attendance will help your children to understand and trust in the teachings and in the Atonement of Jesus Christ, to qualify for the blessings of the temple, and to prepare for eternal life with Heavenly Father.
President Thomas S. Monson (1927–2018) said, “How grateful I am that the family home evening manual places emphasis upon the scriptures. The seminary and institute curricula likewise stress the scriptures and help the student to internalize their vibrancy and meaning.”2
“The holy scriptures, the guidance of your parents, and the diligent teaching you receive in Primary, Young Women, Sunday School, sacrament meeting, and seminary will fortify you in your determination to be your best self.”3
I know that as we allow our children to participate in the seminary program, we will see the fulfillment of these promises and we will have a feeling of joy in our hearts as we know that we have prepared a righteous posterity.