Introduction

The Purpose of This Guide

Loving, effective parents are needed to guard against societal influences that are destructive to the family. President Gordon B. Hinckley declared: “Perhaps our greatest concern is with families. The family is falling apart all over the world. The old ties that bound together father and mother and children are breaking everywhere. We must face this in our own midst. There are too many broken homes among our own. The love that led to marriage somehow evaporates, and hatred fills its place. Hearts are broken; children weep.”¹

This guide is a resource for you as you participate in the Strengthening the Family course developed by LDS Family Services. The purpose of the course is to foster harmonious and loving family relationships. Sessions are conducted like other Church classes—gospel principles provide the foundation and framework for the sessions. In addition, learning activities and professional insights will help you integrate principles and skills in your life.

Participating in the Course

This guide presents nine subjects that can help you strengthen your family. The course instructor will choose which subjects to emphasize, based on the needs and interests of course participants. Some topics may require more than one session. A typical course will include 9 to 12 sessions.

Read this guide carefully, and complete the learning activities in each session. Put your whole heart into learning the material and developing your skills. You will derive the greatest benefit from the course as you contribute in the class and apply the doctrines and principles you learn.

Contributing to the Class

The course will be most meaningful for you as you participate actively. You can participate by preparing well for sessions and by joining class discussions and skill-building activities. As you participate, you will learn from other class members, and you in turn will help teach them. Do your best to invite the influence of the Holy Ghost. Make sure that all your communications are edifying. Please follow these rules as you participate in the class:

Confidentiality. Information shared in the class remains in the class.
Brevity. Your comments should be brief so others can also participate.
Balance. You may speak as often as time allows as long as you give other group members an equal opportunity.
Patience and kindness. As you learn and integrate new skills, be patient and kind to your spouse, your children, and yourself.
Encouragement. Encourage other participants in the class, and encourage your spouse as you work together to strengthen your family.
Forgiveness. Everyone makes mistakes, even after being taught new ways of doing things. Learn to forgive yourself and others.

You are invited to share your experiences in class, but you should not bring up sensitive personal matters that require individualized ecclesiastical or professional assistance. Be careful not to embarrass your spouse, children, or others. If you need individual help, consult with your bishop or branch president. You may also call LDS Family Services for a referral to a professional counselor.

Applying Doctrines and Principles

You will progress as you apply the principles you learn in this course. President Harold B. Lee observed, “We never really know anything of the teachings of the gospel until we have experienced the blessings that come from living each principle.”²

The more you practice new skills, the better you will be at applying them when appropriate situations arise. Continually seek to increase your understanding of gospel doctrines and principles about parenting children. The Lord will bless you in this righteous endeavor.

Promises to Parents

As you learn the parenting principles and skills in this document, keep in mind the promises to families who hold regular family home evenings, family prayer, and scripture study.

Family Home Evening

When introducing the weekly home evening program in 1915, the First Presidency of the Church promised: “If the Saints obey this counsel, we promise that great blessings will result. Love at home and obedience to parents will increase. Faith will be developed in the hearts of the youth of Israel, and they will gain power to combat the evil influences and temptations which beset them.”³

Family Prayer

About the scriptural instruction from the Lord regarding family prayer, President James E. Faust of the First Presidency observed: “ ’Pray in your families unto the Father, always in my name, that your wives and your children may be blessed’ (3 Nephi 18:21). In our day, the Church urges us to have family prayer every night and every morning. … Miraculous things happen when families pray together.”⁴

President Gordon B. Hinckley taught the importance of family prayer: “I know of nothing that will ease family tensions, that in a subtle way will bring about the respect for parents which leads to obedience, that will affect the spirit of repentance which will largely erase the blight of broken homes, than will praying together, confessing weaknesses together before the Lord, and invoking the blessings of the Lord upon the home and those who dwell there.”⁵

Family Scripture Study

President Marion G. Romney of the First Presidency taught that great strength and blessings will come to those families that study the scriptures together: “I am persuaded by my own experience and that of my loved ones, as well as by the statements of the Prophet Joseph Smith, that one can get and keep closer to the Lord by reading the Book of Mormon than by reading any other book. Don’t be content with what someone else tells you about what is in it. Drink deeply from the divine fountain itself.

“I feel certain that if, in our homes, parents will read from the Book of Mormon prayerfully and regularly, both by themselves and with their children, the spirit of that great book will come to permeate our homes and all who dwell therein. The spirit of reverence will increase; mutual respect and consideration for each other will grow. The spirit of contention will depart. Parents will counsel their children in greater love and wisdom. Children will be more responsive and submissive to the counsel of their parents. Righteousness will increase. Faith, hope, and charity—the pure love of Christ—will abound in our homes and lives, bringing in their wake peace, joy, and happiness.”⁶