Start 'em while they're young

Carston will be turning eight next year. He'll probably be getting baptized. I can't believe that time is almost upon us. It fills me with a drive to make sure that he is on the right track, that he knows what he needs to know, that he has the experiences that will help him build his own testimony. As part of this, I decided I really wanted to focus on helping our kids establish the habit of personal scripture study. We had a Family Home Evening lesson on it, and made charts for a month to help us remember. I have to say, I've been touched by how my children have responded. They have hardly missed a day in three weeks. The way they have responded has reinforced my own testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. I watch Avery. She turned 5 a few months ago. She probably doesn't understand or even know how to pronouce half the words in there. But she is excited about reading it. She will read a whole page in a night. She helps Macy read. She reads with expression even when she's not sure what she's reading about. She'll remind me that she needs to read her scriptures. She'll read them even without a reminder. I know she feels the spirit that is tied to the Book of Mormon. What other book would a child love and keep reading when there was so much in it they didn't understand? I don't think there is any other book out there. The same is true with Carston and Macy. Macy loves to repeat word by word each night. Sometimes she uses the picture version. One night we read about Joseph Smith praying, and that night in her prayers, she was "grateful that Joseph Smith prayed." She loves finding and pointing out pictures of him now. Carston is supposed to choose 3 new goals for school. They can be personal, academic, or family oriented. We were talking about him being baptized soon, and I asked if he wanted to have the goal of reading every day until then. His response was, "No, I want to read the WHOLE Book of Mormon." I know the Book of Mormon is a book from God. I want my children to develop their own testimonies. I want them to know that this gospel is true. I want them to know what it feels like when the Holy Ghost is speaking to them. I want them to know that God loves them. I have confidence that this is a way to accomplish that. I believe that studying the scriptures everyday can do all that. It has meant spending more time with them each night, helping them with words they don't know, but it is well worth it. I would do great things for my kids if it would ensure their safety. I can do small, daily things as well.