i'm reading this book by jennifer fox called discovering your child's strengths.  there are so many things i want to remember.  i picked it up thinking it would be written more for a parent but i see now its written more for an educator but includes parents.   i am actually fine with that and kinda loving it more.  i really enjoy reading about educational theories and laws.  This book is interesting for so many reasons but something i read stuck out to me for a different reason all together.  she was addressing the adolescent rebellion and explaining why teenagers make the extreme choices they do.  she said "adolescents seek out powerful experiences to provide them with profound memories."  now she was trying to calm down the worried or angry parent or teacher for rule breaking or whatnot.  what i thought of though was my kids in youth.  i think about what my children will be doing when they're teenagers and how they will be different.  i think about what makes good kids from good families stay strong and what makes good kids from good families fall away from the church. i know that my children will make their own choices and that is their agency.  i also look for ways that i can have influence.  if i can understand and remember this principle maybe, just maybe, i can help my kids seek out powerful spiritual experiences to provide them with profound testimonies."  i know my father in law is down on things like efy.  i believe he calls it money changing in the temple or something.  but for me efy was one of many powerful spiritual experiences.  i felt genuinely and strongly moved by the spirit i felt there.  of course there are 1,001 free ways of creating and recognizing these powerful experiences as well.   oh i just pray that i can recognize the spoken and unspoken needs of my children.

unspiritual moments

jackson was throwing a crying fit upstairs so brent went to go check it out while i waited downstairs with the sister missionaries.  they had just shared a spiritual thought about praying.  the sister missionary told a story about a stormy night when she said a prayer and felt better.

when brent asked jackson what was wrong he said "the hallway was dark and scary so i said a prayer BUT IT DIDN'T WORK!!"

jackson:  you're always in last place sam.
mom:  jackson i don't like mean talk.  tell him something good about him.  (multiple promptings.)
jackson:  sam you're so good i'm glad hot lava didn't lava you

parenting fail #11,242

Sam eats his boogers.

Come on Sam!!

That's gross.