THE MOST IMPORTANT THING A FATHER CAN DO FOR HIS CHILDREN IS TO LOVE THEIR MOTHER

"The most important thing a father can do for his child is to love their mother." David O. McKay

I loved that quote from the first moment I heard it.  I remember so very clearly right after giving birth to Levi, that proud look on David's face as he gazed at me.  Yes, gazed.  I remember thinking, at that moment, of the above quote.  My David has proven that quote true as time has went on and on in our marriage as we are raising our sons.

Our marriage hasn't always been perfect.  I never want to come off that way because I never want my children or future grandchildren to read this and think they have to compare their marriages to ours.  I have done that to myself with my mommy abilities.  I read of all these prophets praising their, what seems like PERFECT, mothers and I just disappoint myself over and over again.  But through life experiences, I don't fret so much about that anymore.  I am not a perfect mother.  I'm just not.  Plain and simple.  And I'm certainly not the perfect wife.  But David and I sure do try to work hard on our marriage when we feel things slipping.

Funny how fast that can happen, too.

Very rarely is it some big "to do."  It never fails that it almost always is due to life.  I'm busy with getting as much done as possible while the boys are in school and from the second they are home, trust me, it is go, go, go!  David has a very demanding job.  He is gone a lot but he ALWAYS gives me breaks when he gets home.  If I am stressed about the boys and all their craziness, he never hesitates to tell me to go leave and do whatever I want.  Or encourages me to go on a walk or lock myself up in our room while I sleep.  I am so blessed that he does that.  He is not typical at all.  When  most men want their own "outs" well, David is getting his out when he gives me mine.  Wrestling with the boys calms him when he is stressed with his job.  And yet, I know all these things, I still take it for granted...a lot.

So, I was feeling more like roommates for a few days recently.  I didn't like that feeling so I called him up a few times throughout the week to see if he would meet me for lunch somewhere.  So much was going on at work, though, or I would call too late and it just never worked out. 

 And then Thursday afternoon happened.  

I had to take the 2 oldest boys to the doctor for a Well Child visit that the school requires.  Having 3 boys in a doctor's room is never fun but they were just absolutely horrible that day.  Brigham was already ticked at me because I grounded him from playing with Sam (our neighbor) that day because he forgot to bring his homework home.  Never mind the fact that he had forgotten every day that WEEK!  He was so mad at me that when the nurse came in to check his blood pressure and oxygen level, he flat out ignored her and when I threatened to take away more "Sam time" he barely pushed forward his limp arm and refused to answer any of her questions.  Hyrum wouldn't stop whining while insisting that he needed to be held.  Then when Brigham finally decided to snap out of his bad mood, he and Levi wouldn't leave each other alone.  

 That night was the older boy's Blue and Gold Banquet that the Cub Scouts put on each year.  They were excited because each scout was in charge of decorating their own cake with the theme of "The Great Outdoors."  But I felt so unappreciated by them that I didn't want to have anything to do with it.  I told them I wasn't going and to be quite honest, I didn't think they would care if I was there or not.  

Daddy came home and he UNLOADED on them!

If you know David, you know that you never, ever mess with his wife.  Not even his own children!  He never uses mean words or belittles them but he makes it very clear that as long as he is around, those boys will always respect their mother.  By the time he was done, all three boys were in tears and didn't want to have anything to do with the Blue and Gold Banquet anymore.  Soft Mommy had to step in then and make sure that they knew that they weren't "bad boys."  Their actions were just not acceptable.  My heart ached for Levi because even though all the boys were very upset, I knew that within a few minutes Brigham could very well be jumping off the walls again.  Levi, however, would worry for the rest of the night about what he had done.  Daddy quickly realized this and made sure that they knew he felt the same way.

Daddy and the boys left for the banquet and I was extremely in love with my husband again.

Who else is going to teach my boys to respect their mother than by example of their father?  I truly am so blessed.  How quickly I take for granted all those nights he comes home and gives me my breaks when I am just looking for a date.  What more do I really need than for him to serve me the way that he already does?  I don't need more.  I am so very greatful for this man and his patience with me.