KEEPING PROMISES TO OUR CHILDREN

Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus in Greensboro, NC

 

Arthur Gordon told the following story in an article entitled A Day At The Beach:

“When I was around thirteen and my brother ten, Father had promised to take us to the circus. But at lunchtime there was a phone call; some urgent business required his attention downtown. We braced ourselves for disappointment. Then we heard him say, ‘No, I won’t be down. It’ll have to wait.’

 

“When he came back to the table, Mother smiled [and said,] ‘The circus keeps coming back, you know.’

 

“‘I know,’ said Father. ‘But childhood doesn’t.’”

 

The time that we have to spend with our children and grandchildren is but a fleeting moment. We should always try our best to spend time with them now, because they grow up so quickly whether or not we take the time to interact with them when they are young. Meredith Wilson in The Music Man expresses this thought so well: "Live only for tomorrow, and you will have a lot of empty yesterdays today."

 

One of our granddaughters and her mother lived with us in Greensboro for almost three years. The little girl was only three when she moved to our home where she and her Paw Paw developed a very special relationship that has continued through the years even though she has now evolved into a teenager.

 

Although I knew from the beginning that I could not take the place of her father, still I understood that I might be able to provide her with some experiences that would become lasting happy childhood memories. Going to the circus with her for several years represented some of those important times of being together.

 

When our own eight children were growing up, my employment required me to travel a considerable amount of time, which placed a lot of extra work on my wife to get sons and daughters to various activities and events. Whenever I was home, however, I did my best to be present and supportive of everything that was important to our children. Church leaders have encouraged us to be available to our children so they can know that they are important and loved. I have heard it said that no man, as death approaches, has ever declared that he wished he had spent more time at the office!

 

Thomas S. Monson, President of the Church, warns us that we cannot afford to be complacent. We live in perilous times; the signs are all around us. We are acutely aware of the negative influences in our society that stalk traditional families. At times television and movies portray worldly and immoral heroes and heroines and attempt to hold up as role models some actors and actresses whose lives are anything but exemplary. Why should we follow a blind guide? Radios blare forth much denigrating music with blatant lyrics, dangerous invitations, and descriptions of almost every type of evil imaginable. We, as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, must stand up to the dangers which surround us and our families.

 

Having watched our sons and daughters and now our grandchildren grow up through the years, Sister Lindsay and I can truly say we miss the little children they once were, but we love the adults they have now become. We continue to have joy in knowing that we remain involved in their lives.