Posted by:
peculiargifts
(
)
Date: May 25, 2017 12:09PM
Start by looking at the articles on Richard Packham's pages. The link below has a list of them, including two that specifically touch on your question.
http://packham.n4m.org/#MORMONISMAlso, think about the world around you. There are huge numbers of good, kind, loving, productive people who have never been anywhere near the Mormon church. Raise you children with love and spend time with them doing constructive, joyful things. Teach them responsibility and how to work, but also give them lots of happy family activities.
Getting them involved in music is a great thing. It is not only good for them --- it develops the brain in a huge number of positive ways; it teaches (demands) cooperation, attention, perseverance, discipline, coordination, and a whole lot more positive things. All the while being beautiful and enjoyable --- if you do it right.
If you don't already, learn to play an instrument and then play together as a family. You are not too old, and you are not hopeless. There are instruments that almost anyone can master, if you give it a good shot. The family that plays together stays together.
Do things like camping with them, and make it fun.
Attend a church that is positive and compassionate, if you are still into religion at all. Talk with them about love and kindness and sensible moral values. And demonstrate those things to them every day in your own life. Find or create family activities and include friends and neighbors as much as you can, so that the kids learn to share good things with others.
Teach them to value logic and science and rational thought. Get yourself involved in volunteer activities that truly help other people. And then get the kids involved, also.
And never forget that love and kindness will draw your children close. Anger, cruelty, ignorance --- those things will bring rebellion. That's a major part of the reason that none of us are Mormons today.