An interesting phenomenon that I've encountered fairly often is the desire of many non-LDS parents to have their kids be Mormon. Sometimes these parents aren't even Christian. This week, for example, my wife and I were blessed to have two wonderful sisters from Thailand teach us how to cook a couple of delicious Thai dishes. In talking with them, we learned of their conversion stories. They are grateful for their non-believing parents who learned about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and wanted Mormon ways for their children. They had missionaries over, sent them to church, and encouraged them to be baptized and be active in the church, though the parents kept their old ways and beliefs. So why would anyone wish that upon their children? From what I've seen, and in the case of my friends from Thailand, it's usually because the parents know some Mormons and see something tremendously positive that they want their children to have. They see high moral values, healthy living, happy and strong families, nice people, and want that for their kids. The church, of course, is more complicated than that and we have all the problems known to mankind within our ranks, but there's no doubt in my mind that the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as taught and practiced within the Church, in general helps people live better lives, have better families, and find greater happiness.

So if it's great for the kids, why not for the whole family? For every parent who wants their kids to be Mormon and ships them off to a local Mormon church or encourages them to listen to the missionaries and be baptized, there are dozens of children who wish their parents would listen and find the peace and happiness they have. Some of these parents who like Mormonism and even see it as something from God might say "It's too late for me," or "I can't change, but my kids can be shaped." Sigh. We can change, at any age, and live happier, healthier lives as we strive to follow Jesus Christ and learn from him. Come on, parents, lead your kids by example and find increased happiness together. It's not that hard. OK, it can be hard and painful, as many aspects of mortality can be, but even those more difficult parts of the religious journey are worth it.
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