“To the Mothers of Zion,” Ezra Taft Benson, Feb. 22, 1987; Journal of Discourses 1:67; Prov. 29:15
“All that I am, or hope to be I owe to my angel mother.” (Abraham Lincoln, Lincoln’s Life - Stories & Speeches, Selby, p. 221)
[Referring to the stripling warriors and their mothers] “I think that is one of the greatest tributes that has ever been paid to motherhood—that in circumstances such as they were experiencing, when they were surrounded by enemies, they could train their children to have that faith in God that would carry them through and would bring them home without losing their lives… . I realize that there is a force in the Latter-day Saint homes where our wives and mothers and daughters are, and when it comes to faith in God and prayer it is equal to anything that the men may be able to muster. I fear that sometimes we neglect them… . [Speaking to the Priesthood] I am asking myself the question, ‘How many of you who are here tonight, before you came here to wait upon the Lord, put your arms around the woman who stood by your side, the mother of your children, and told her that you were grateful that she would keep the home-fires burning when you couldn’t be there?’ I wonder if we appreciate the daughters of God as He appreciates them. Do we treasure their virtues and their faith and their devotion and their motherhood as our Heavenly Father does?” (George Albert Smith, Conference Report, Apr. 1943, pp. 89-90)
“Your mother is your best friend. Never forget that. She gave you life. She cared for you, nurtured you, nursed you when you were sick, and looked after your every need. Listen to her now. Talk with her candidly and confidentially. You will find that she will keep your confidence and that her wisdom will prove to be wonderful.” (Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, May 1996, p. 93)
“It is the mothers of young children I would like to address first… . These are years when you will probably do the most important work of your lives. Don’t wish away your years of caring for small children. Life is what happens to you while you are making other plans. This is a time of great opportunity for you to build the Kingdom. When you teach children to love their Heavenly Father, you have done one of the greatest things you will ever do. If you can be a full-time homemaker, be grateful. If not, you must do what is best… . I for one have never felt a need to apologize for my role as a full-time homemaker.” (Marjorie Hinckley, as quoted in Ensign, May 1995, p. 74)
“Suggestions for mothers as they guide their precious children:
1. Take time to always be at the crossroads in the lives of your children, whether they be six or sixteen.
2. Take time to be a real friend to your children.
3. Take time to read to your children. Remember what the poet wrote:
You may have tangible wealth untold:
Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.
Richer than I you can never be—
I had a mother who read to me.
4. Take time to pray with your children.
5. Take time to have a meaningful weekly home evening. Make this one of your great family traditions.
6. Take time to be together at mealtimes as often as possible.
7. Take time daily to read the scriptures together as a family.
8. Take time to do things together as a family.
9. Take time to teach your children.
10. Take time to truly love your children. A mother’s unqualified love approaches Christlike love.” (Ezra Taft Benson, Come Listen to a Prophet’s Voice, pp. 32-36)
“If I were asked to name the world’s greatest need, I should say unhesitatingly wise mothers; and the second greatest, exemplary fathers… . The noblest calling in the world is that of mother. True motherhood is the most beautiful of all arts, the greatest of all professions. She who can paint a masterpiece or who can write a book that will influence millions deserves the plaudits and admiration of mankind; but she who rears successfully a family of … sons and daughters whose immortal souls will be exerting an influence throughout the ages long after painting[s] shall have faded, and books and statues shall have been destroyed, deserves the highest honor that man can give.” (David O. McKay, Secrets of a Happy Life, pp. 2-4)
“Recently I reviewed the history of many missionaries and found a powerful correlation between exceptional missionaries and mothers who chose to remain home, often at great financial and personal sacrifice… . President Benson has taught that a mother with children should be in the home. He also said, ‘We realize … that some of our choice sisters are widowed and divorced and that others find themselves in unusual circumstances where, out of necessity, they are required to work for a period of time. But these instances are the exception, not the rule’ (Ezra Taft Benson, To the Mothers in Zion, pamphlet, 1987, pp. 5-6). You in these unusual circumstances qualify for additional inspiration and strength from the Lord. Those who leave the home for lesser reasons will not.” (Richard G. Scott, Ensign, May 1993, pp. 33-34)
“In ten years, one-half of all children born in America will be illegitimate. More and more children have no functioning fathers. Already 70% of our juvenile criminals come from fatherless homes. Less than half of the children born today will live continuously with their own mother and father throughout childhood. One-fourth of all adolescents contract a sexually transmitted disease before they graduate from high school. Fifty-five percent of American children under the age of six have both parents or their only parent working in the labor force… . Annually in America there are four million reports of domestic violence, rivaling the number of births in America! Violence in America now kills ‘the equivalent of a classroomful’ of children ‘every two days.’ In the face of such challenges, we need more mothers who know the truth, whose children do not doubt their mothers know it (see Alma 56:48).” (Neal A. Maxwell, Ensign, May 1994, pp. 88-90)
“A man who holds the priesthood does not have an advantage over a woman in qualifying for exaltation. The woman, by her very nature, is also co-creator with God and the primary nurturer of the children. Virtues and attributes upon which perfection and exaltation depend come naturally to a woman and are refined through marriage and motherhood… . During World War II, men were called away to fight. In the emergency, wives and mothers worldwide were drawn into the work force as never before. The most devastating effect of the war was on the family. It lingers to this generation. In the October 1942 general conference, the First Presidency delivered a message to the Saints in every land.
‘… This divine service of motherhood can be rendered only by mothers. It may not be passed to others. Nurses cannot do it; public nurseries cannot do it; hired help cannot do it—only mother, aided as much as may be by the loving hands of father, brothers, and sisters, can give the full needed measure of watchful care… . The mother who entrusts her child to the care of others, that she may do non-motherly work, whether for gold, for fame, or for civic service, should remember that a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame (Prov. 29:15). In our day the Lord has said that unless parents teach their children the doctrines of the Church the sin be upon the heads of the parents (D&C 68:25). Motherhood is near to divinity. It is the highest, holiest service to be assumed by mankind. It places her who honors its holy calling and service next to the angels.’
That message and warning from the First Presidency is needed more, not less, today than when it was given. Any soul who … must act alone in rearing children, working to support them will not be denied in the eternities any blessing—provided they keep the commandments.” (Boyd K. Packer, Ensign, Nov. 1993, pp. 22-23)
“As I visit the missions in the world, I hear the young men bear their testimonies. They say, ‘My mother told me this… . my mother is prime, she’s first.’ She really is first, and if all women could understand this, they would want to have families instead of following the present fad… It has been said that ‘When you educate a man, you educate an individual; but when you educate a woman, you educate a whole family’ (Dr. Charles D. McIver). We want our women to be well educated, for children may not recover from the ignorance of their mothers. After marriage young wives should be happily occupied in bearing and rearing children… . You sometimes read things quite different from that. But it is still true, and it will be true when the last trumpet is sounded. I know of no scriptures nor authorities which authorize young wives to forego families purposely. Young married couples can make their way and reach their educational heights if they are truly determined.” (Spencer W. Kimball, Charge to Religious Educators, 1982, pp. 43-47)
“Government and social plans will not effectively correct [violence], … nor can the best efforts of schools and churches fully compensate for the absence of the tender care of a compassionate mother and wife in the home… . As a mother guided by the Lord, you weave a fabric of character in your children from threads of truth through careful instruction and worthy example… . No day-care center can do that. It is your sacred right and privilege. Of course, as a woman you can do exceptionally well in the work-place, but is that the best use of your divinely appointed talents and feminine traits? As a husband, don’t encourage your wife to go to work to help in your divinely appointed responsibility of providing resources for the family, if you can possibly avoid it… . Don’t be lured away from the plan of our God to the ways of the world, where motherhood is belittled, femininity is decried, and the divinely established role of wife and mother is mocked. Let the world go its way. You follow the plan of the Lord… .” (Richard G. Scott, Ensign, Nov. 1996, pp. 74-75)
“Some years ago President Benson delivered a message to the women of the Church. He encouraged them to leave their employment and give their individual time to their children. I sustain the position which he took. Nevertheless, I recognize, as he recognized, that there are some women (it has become very many in fact) who have to work to provide for the needs of their families. To you I say, do the very best you can. I hope that if you are employed full-time you are doing it to ensure that basic needs are met and not simply to indulge a taste for an elaborate home, fancy cars, and other luxuries… . It is well-nigh impossible to be a full-time homemaker and a full-time employee. I know how some of you struggle with decisions concerning this matter. I repeat, do the very best you can. You know your circumstances, and I know that you are deeply concerned for the welfare of your children.” (Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, Nov. 1996, p. 69)
[To the young women] “Becoming like men is not the answer. Rather, the answer lies in being who you are and living up to your divine potential by fulfilling eternal commitments. You cannot trust the many conflicting voices that clamor about what women should or should not do in today’s society. Some of the loudest voices are echoes of those others who are out of harmony with themselves and out of tune with life in general rather than being unhappy with their role as women… . Entreating voices may tell you that what you have seen your mothers and grandmothers do is old-fashioned, unchallenging, boring, and drudgery… . Homemaking is whatever you make of it. Every day brings satisfaction along with some work which may be frustrating, routine, and unchallenging. But it is the same in the law office, the dispensary, the laboratory, or the store. There is, however, no more important job than homemaking. As C.S. Lewis said, ‘A housewife’s work … is the one for which all others exist.’ … Women today are encouraged by some to have it all: money, travel, marriage, motherhood, and separate careers in the world. For women, the important ingredients for happiness are to forge an identity, serve the Lord, get an education, develop your talents, serve your family, and if possible to have a family of your own. However, you cannot do all these things well at the same time… . You cannot be a 100-percent wife, a 100-percent mother, a 100-percent Church worker, a 100-percent career person, and a 100-percent public-service person at the same time. How can all of these roles be coordinated? I suggest that you can have it sequentially. Sequentially is a big word meaning to do things one at a time at different times. The book of Ecclesiastes [3:1] says: ‘To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under … heaven.’” (James E. Faust, Ensign, May 1998, p. 96)