Focus as a mother

I have been thinking what I want my focus to be this year as a mother. For quite a while I have been working on one of them without any certain plan. I knew that I wanted to have that as one of my goals to focus on but I knew that I wanted to add more to it. 

As I was thinking about it today as I was driving around, this is what I knew would be my focus this year with my children.

Responsibility

Respect

Right

The 3 R's of our home this year.

Responsibility is something that I want my children not just to have but to FEEL. I what them to know that they have a responsibility to this life that they have been blessed with. We all do and so many times when I am out and about and being observant, I notice that people are lacking responsibility. In my own home, I often see them not feeling like they should be responsible for things that they should be. I don't want posterity to feel like they have no responsibility in life. They do, we all DO whether we feel responsible or not.

Respect. I have pretty polite children, but they are not always respectful. Sometimes they are trying really hard to have their point of view understood that they do not listen to what is being discussed. Sometimes they really do not care and show respect to others. That worries me. I know that my time as a mother is limited. I only have so much time with them in my home. I know I cannot force respect on them, that is something that is learned. I pray that this year we can have opportunities to learn respect of others and self.

Right. This is kind of a tricky one but my kids are a bit older and I honestly feel that they can get this one. I want them to learn to choose the right. I mean, what mother does not. What I want and hope to teach them this year is to have a desire in themselves to do what is right. Not because they will feel guilty if they don't but because it is the right thing to do. Like when you are getting out of the car and bump someone else's vehicle and no one is around and you can clearly get away with it BUT you leave your information on the other person's vehicle because it is the RIGHT thing to do. I want what is right and true to be their moral compass. I want them to truly care about it. I think the tricky part is  realizing that because that is your moral compass does not mean that others will care as much as you do or make the same choice. I have to remind myself that while I have influence on those I come in contact with, I am the mother to 3 children. I firmly believe that this is my responsibility to teach them what is right. 

A few years ago when I was serving in Young Women's, our Bishop read this quote and I feel that for me, this is the quote I will use as my guide this year. I am so grateful for a Bishop who is wise.

"If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?"

John Wooden

I will never have this time back as a mom. I will never be able to do it over. I just want to do it right.