We are as the Army of Helaman

Sometimes watching my kids go through the tough lessons of life is a painful thing. Sometimes, friends can be mean, bullies abound, and homework is tough. Sometimes we aren't in the "in" crowd, or we don't feel a part of any crowd. Sometimes we have to do things over and over again, and we still never seem to get them right. With all of the things that seem to shift with the wind in a child's life, I suddenly felt an enormous need to teach my children that some things are constant. No passing fad, shifting view, or changing opinions have an impact on whether or not these things are important.

So we read from the Book of Mormon about the Army of Helaman, yes those 2,000 strippling warriors who fought for the cause of freedom with such strength, bravery and faith that not one of them died in battle. All of the them were wounded mind you, but not one of them died. "How amazing is that" I asked them. They seemed to be quite impressed, but then I told them, "do you know that you can be just like Helaman's Warriors?", which they didn't seem to completely believe. Caleb struck a fabulous fighter pose, and asked, "Can I wear a knife in my sleeve?". I had to explain that this was not the kind of warrior I was talking about. I meant that they could be like "Helaman's Warriors" by surviving life's daily battles with their heads held high. Wounds are inevitable, but our integrity can and should stay intact.

We decided that Helaman's Warriors were true to 3 very important things: their God, themselves, and their family. When it comes right down to it, nothing else matters very much if you don't have those three things.

Just today Caleb came home from school and told me of an experience he had standing up for himself to a bully on the bus. We celebrated with a hug & high five. Way to go my little warrior!