As discussed nearby under Mosiah 23:28, the 1906 LDS large-print edition accidentally dropped the repeated determiner the in this instance of conjoined wives and children. The critical text will retain the repeated the here since its occurrence is supported by all the other (extant) textual sources. For additional discussion, see under conjunctive repetition in volume 3.
Summary: Maintain in Mosiah 23:38 the definite article before children, the reading of the earliest textual sources (“the wives and the children of the guards”).