The Influence of Mothers

Wow, The Influence of Mothers by Sheri Dew was a fantastic article run in the Deseret News.  In it, she highlights truths and myths of motherhood and women.

Truth #1:  Motherhood is a sacred trust from God.
Truth #2:  We tend to define motherhood as maternity, but the word "mother" has layers of meaning. 
Truth #3:  Mothers can do more than any others to cure the problems that exist in our society.  (I just have to share one story:)

While serving in the General Presidency of the Relief Society, the women's organization of the LDS Church, we hosted Mrs. Jehan Sedat, the widow of Egyptian president Anwar Sedat, at a luncheon not long after a mass shooting in a U.S. high school. During the luncheon, the conversation turned to this horrifying event, and one man opined that the problem was with the failure of law enforcement agencies. 

Mrs. Sedat immediately countered him: "No, the problem is with our homes. Too many mothers have abdicated responsibility for teaching their children what is right. What happens in society all begins with mothers." 

Truth #4:  Satan is real, and he has declared war on women.
Truth #5:  Mothers have more influence than they realize.


Myth #1:  Men are more important and have all the power, so if women want to have influence they should be more like men.
Myth #2:  A woman's value is based solely on size and shape.
Myth #3:  The only worthwhile validation comes from outside the home, and thus, motherhood is a waste of any talented woman's time.
 
I always love Sheri Dew's perspectives as she has never been married, nor has she borne any children of her own.