To Endure all Things

This is Emily. I’ve decided to hijack Shane’s blog in order to post something about what it’s like over here while he’s gone.

I decided shortly after Bronwyn was born that planning and executing Family Home Evening by myself is just too much for me, so I developed a plan that would allow us to at least consistently have it and hopefully have something to show for the effort without having to prepare a lesson. That plan is to spend the time helping the kids memorize the Articles of Faith and to not worry about having a lesson.  However, after our last home evening I am starting to wonder if even this is too much…

It was already getting late and the kids were bouncing off the walls.  Bronwyn was getting over a stomach bug and so she was a little fussy.  We had a quick opening prayer and then got started on practicing. Blythe went first, and got through about the 5th.  That is about as far as she can get right now so we moved on to Liam.  Bronwyn was tired and starting to go to sleep in the swing while Rowan was complaining that I wouldn’t let him play his DS.  Naturally, since Rowan couldn’t play DS he decided he would bother everyone else, so first he started to antagonize Blythe.  Liam had probably gotten through the 6th or 7th Article of Faith by this time.

After Rowan got in trouble for fighting with Blythe he moved on to bothering Bronwyn with his “snuggling” (a.k.a. suffocating).  By the time Liam had gotten to the 10th Article of Faith, Rowan had woken Bronwyn up and had been banished to his room for the remainder of Home Evening.  We continued to try to slog on while I was holding a fussing Bronwyn and Rowan was in his room upstairs screaming “CAN I COME OUT NOW? HOW ABOUT NOW? WHEN CAN I COME OUT?!!?”

Needless to say, it was taking Liam forever because with all of the screaming he couldn’t remember anything and couldn't thing straight (neither could I).  I think he was actually getting worse.  I only know that I was about to lose my mind.  When he had finished the 12th article of faith I told him that was enough for tonight and we needed to wrap things up.  Then it was Liam’s turn to get upset and he told me that he NEEDED to practice that one, that Heavenly Father wanted him to learn it, and that if we didn’t practice it he would NEVER learn it, etc, etc.

I responded by telling him that “Heavenly Father doesn’t want me to beat my children and so we need to wrap this up quick before I snap.  So, what closing song do you want to sing?”  Blythe quickly responded with “If You’re Happy and You Know it, Clap Your Hands!”  I appreciated the irony of this suggestion and agreed with her, but Liam, seeing that I wasn’t going to give in, demanded to sing the 13th Article of Faith song in the Children’s Songbook.  When I told him no he just started singing, hoping we would relent and join in.  Mind you, we don’t own a piano and none of us know the tune, so this sounded horrible.  When I told him that trying to sing this together tonight would be just as excruciating as practicing the 13th Article of Faith in the first place he sulked while Blythe and I sang “If You’re Happy and You Know it”.

Then it was Liam’s turn to give the closing prayer, and what did he pray for?  “Please help us to be honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and to do good to all men.  Help us to follow the admonition of Paul to believe all things and to endure all things.”