The topic for this week is gender.  I’ll be speaking on the differences between men and women and how they complement each other in the family unit.  Contrary to society’s belief today, the world needs both men and women in families.

     To start off, I would like to share a quote by President Gordon B. Hinckley (15^th Prophet of the Latter-day Saint Church).  He says, "In His grand design, when God first created man, He created duality of the sexes. The ennobling expression of that duality is found in marriage. One individual is complementary to the other. As Paul stated, 'Neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord' (1 Corinthians 11:11). There is no other arrangement that meets the divine purposes of the Almighty. Man and woman are His creations. Their duality is His design. Their complementary relationships and functions are fundamental to His purposes. One is incomplete without the other."

     God created both men and women for a reason.  I ponder on my own marriage and the differences between my wife and I and how happy I am that we’re different.  Whenever disagreements arise or life decisions need to be discussed, we’re able to talk through them and come up with solutions.  If my wife thought and acted like me then nothing would get solved and life would be rather boring.  Women are generally more emotional, pay attention to detail, and creative.  Where men are more straight shooters, get it done now and problem solvers.  Neither is better than the other.  Society is trying to make more men like women, and more women like men.  We need to encourage and support traditional men and women values and behavior.    When there are both men and women working together to solve problems, more options and ideas arise because of these different qualities.

     Mothers have a remarkable impact on their children and family.  Abraham Lincoln said “All that I am or hope to be I owe to my angel Mother.”  Mother’s nurture, teach, comfort, guide, encourage, love, and care for their children.  A news article published in the New York Times in 1994 said “If a son or daughter who loses a mother never receives adequate substitute mothering, the loss can do long-term damage to his or her self-esteem, ability to relate to other people, overall feelings of security and ability to trust others.” I remember my Mom would talk to me daily about manners and how to be a good boy.  She would teach me to open doors for girls, be polite, say please and thank you, and to always do the best I can in every situation.  If I ever had an issue with someone or a problem with something in life, I knew I could always go to my Mom and she would help me and give me the guidance I needed. 

     Fathers are equally important to mothers.  I remember when I was a young teenager doing household chores and having family responsibilities. We lived in a house that had a septic tank sewer system, and one day, the back toilet wouldn’t drain properly so my dad had to fix it. One of my responsibilities was to help with fixing problems in the house when needed. In order to fix this problem, the ground outside had to be dug up about 4 feet to reach the pipes for the plumbing.  I remember helping my Dad work outside for the entire day: digging, trying to snake out the pipes, and figuring out the problems. I did not know it at the time, but my Dad was making an impact on me by showing how to be a hard worker that gets things done.  It was because of his example from that day as well as many other days throughout my childhood, that I now know how to be a good worker.  According to the Father Involvement Research Society, “Boys show less aggression, less impulsivity, and more self-direction. As young adults, children of involved fathers are more likely to achieve higher levels of education, find success in their careers, have higher levels of self-acceptance and experience psychological well-being.”

     I hope you can see the importance of both Mom and Dad and why we need them and their God given behavior and personalities.  In The Family A Proclamation To The World (an LDS publication) it says, “…Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. . .” 

Reference

“Children Without Mothers Are at Special Risk.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 30 Apr. 1994, www.nytimes.com/1994/05/01/opinion/l-children-without-mothers-are-at-special-risk-954179.html