For Mothers of Young Children
How My Son’s Ear Surgery Helped Me Nurture His Connection to God
I felt my Savior tutoring me to know that He was in charge and taking care of my son.
When Jesus Christ visited the Nephites after His Resurrection, “he commanded that their little children should be brought.
“... And the multitude gave way till they had all been brought unto him” (3 Nephi 17:11–12; emphasis added).
Today, how do we “give way” and bring even our littlest ones to Him? Let me share a story that helped me understand how I could do this in modern times.
As a baby and toddler, my youngest son had many surgeries to insert tubes to drain fluid from his ears. By the time he was four, one ear was not responding well, and the fluid had solidified. One last tubal surgery would determine whether he would lose his hearing completely in that ear.
Knowing that we needed divine help, my husband and I began teaching our son more intentionally about God’s power given through priesthood blessings, prayer, and faith, while also diligently seeking that power on his behalf. The surgery was more invasive than the others. As he woke up, crying and writhing in pain, he wouldn’t let me hold—or even touch—him. I was a mess! But he soon recovered, and we went home to wait to see if his ear would heal properly.
For weeks, our son prayed in every prayer that his ear would heal. Our family prayed and prayed, but every time he prayed for himself, I somehow felt more at peace. He was becoming invested in seeking a blessing from his Father in Heaven.
I felt my Savior tutoring me to know that He was in charge and taking care of my son. More importantly, I saw that my son was beginning to understand that too. He seemed to know, even at his young age, that God was with him. I could see that he felt a personal connection. I felt at peace. Whatever the outcome, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ would be with him and strengthen him—and our family—to handle whatever was required of him.
Leading Them to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ
This experience unlocked two essential realizations.
First, I needed to trust in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and Their wisdom and love for my son.
It goes against every fiber of my mama heart to not protect, fix, and rescue my children from their battles. But sometimes, loving and leading them to their Heavenly Father and their Savior while they fight their battles is what may bless them most.
They have a loving Heavenly Father who has a perfect plan. And sometimes, in His wisdom and love, He allows our children to feel pain, suffering, and loneliness as they navigate this mortal experience and become like Him. I realized that if I took away the difficulties, I may prevent some opportunities for growth in Heavenly Father’s glorious work.
Second, I realized it’s a joyful blessing to help nurture our children’s connection to Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father before they are old enough to make covenants with Them.
Fanning the Flame
Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, “Our challenge as parents and teachers is not to create a spiritual core in their souls but rather to fan the flame of their spiritual core already aglow with the fire of their premortal faith.”
We can fan that flame of faith in many small and simple ways, including by teaching three important principles to our children:
Pray to Know That God Is There
In teaching our children to give thanks and ask for blessings, we can consider the simple counsel President Susan H. Porter, Primary General President, gave to children to “pray to know … ‘Heavenly Father, are you really there?’”
As we help children pour out their hearts and listen to what they feel and the thoughts that come to their minds, they “can come to know for [themselves] that He is there and that He loves [them].”
Then, we can help connect our children to Him when they need help learning something new. Turning their young hearts to Him can become a natural growth pattern.
Recognize the Holy Ghost
When we see that a child is feeling the influence of the Holy Ghost, we can ask, “What are you feeling? Where do you think those feelings are coming from? What do you think Heavenly Father wants you to know?” Suddenly, your child is teaching you about the Holy Ghost.
Understand the Sacredness of the Word of God
Even when children are too young to read, they can learn by your example that the word of God is sacred and that we are blessed when we follow His words.
I have seen three-year-old children hugging the scriptures and excitedly marking verses and “reading” their own copies. Even if the words were upside down, they were learning that it is important to delight in the word of God!
Guiding Them to Feel His Presence
You might ask your children a question I love to ask children in Primary: “How are you blessed because of Jesus Christ?” Their answers may astound you.
Children can learn to rely on Him for comfort, strength, and knowledge. We can “give way” for them to see, feel, and know His power and presence in their young lives.
Our son was blessed with full healing and restoration of his hearing, but even if He hadn’t been, I still learned how to help my child connect to Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father.
Through small and simple ways, his spiritual core was beginning to glow brightly.