Nurture

 

Mothers Teaching Children in the Home

by Elder L. Tom Perry 

As parents, we are given the role of nurturing and teaching our children. We nurture them to love, respect, 

and treat others with kindness. To teach these things, we need to be examples of this type of behavior. 

Parents should avoid anger when disciplining or correcting their children. 

"Children who have lived in the sunbeams of parental kindness and affection, when made aware of a 

parent's displeasure, and receive a kind reproof from parental lips, are more thoroughly chastened, than by 

any physical punishment that could be applied to their persons."

-President Brigham Young

Another part of nurturing is to teach our children through emotion coaching. Emotion coaching is helping 

your child through their emotions. The Gottman Insitute (2023) shares five essential steps to coach your 

children emotionally. 

• Be aware of your child’s emotion
• Recognize your child’s expression of emotion as a perfect moment for intimacy and teaching
• Listen with empathy and validate your child’s feelings
• Help your child learn to label their emotions with words
• Set limits when you are helping your child to solve problems or deal with upsetting situations appropriately

Along with the Gottman Institute is a study completed by the Journal of Research on Adolescence

where they studied children between the ages of 6-12 and how well they listened to their parents

depended on how well the parents were able to emotional coach.

Are they listening?

Our children want the best from us. It doesn't mean we have to be perfect every time. Do the best you can, 

seek out guidance when needed, and love your children. At the end of the day, love will show them that 

you care. 

References:

Goddard, H. W. (2012). The soft-spoken parent: 55 strategies for preventing contention with your 

        children. Leatherwood Press. p. 21

Gregson, K. D., Erath, S. A., Pettit, G. S., & Tu, K. M. (2016). Are they listening? Parental social 

        coaching and parenting emotional climate predict adolescent receptivity. Journal of Research on 

        Adolescence, 26(4), 738–752. https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.12222

Lisitsa, E. (2020, November 3). An introduction to emotion coaching. The Gottman Institute. 

        https://www.gottman.com/blog/an-introduction-to-emotion-coaching/

Perry. L.T.  (2014, December 15). Mothers teaching children in the 

        home. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. https://www.youtube.com/watch?

        v=kleNfMTaJpU&t=3s