“Take Especial Care of Your Family”

In April 1996, President Gordon B. Hinckley appeared on 60 Minutes. He spent many hours speaking with reporter Mike Wallace on camera, for a story that was just 15 minutes long. In general conference later that year, President Hinckley shared some questions and answers which had not been included in the final story. Here is one of them:

Mr. Wallace: “Why is it that Mormons apparently have so many children?”

President Hinckley: “We don’t dictate family size. That is left to the father and the mother, the husband and wife. And we expect them to make of this the most serious business of their lives, the rearing of the family.”

“This Thing Was Not Done in a Corner,” October 1996 general conference

That statement struck me deeply when I first heard it and still resonates today. Church leaders can’t possibly provide detailed guidance for each family. Parents must seek their own inspiration as they make family decisions. But the overarching principle is clear: Our families come first. We ought to prioritize family over career, hobbies, community, and even church service.

Brigham Young and his wife Mary Ann sacrificed deeply as he served with the other apostles on their mission to England from 1839 to 1841. The city of Nauvoo was under construction, and Mary Ann struggled to feed their children and begin to build a house for the family. A letter she wrote in April 1841, as Brigham began his journey home, reveals the difficulties the family had faced during his absence::

I feel that it is through the mercy of God that we enjoy the Blessing of health at the present. I am thankful for all the Blessings I have received. I should be glad if I had a better house to receive into. But it has been so difficult to obtain work that what I had done is not done as I wanted it. But I am thankful for a comfortable shelter from the Storm.

I have done the best I could so I will thank my heavenly Father for all the blessings I receive and pray the Lord to continue his mercies with us. The little Boys talk much about their little wagon that Father is a going to bring them. Joseph [says] tell Father I send my best love to him. Elizabeth says she wants some Light plain silk to make her a Bonnet of, [also a] Belt & Slide. She would like some little white artificial flowers. She says you may do as [you have] a mind about getting them

I am as ever yours
M.A. Young

Quoted in Dean C. Jessee, “Brigham Young’s Family: Part I 1824-1845,” Brigham Young University Studies, Vol. 18, No. 3 (Spring 1978), 311-327; grammar and spelling normalized

Brigham arrived home on July 1 and immediately got to work helping Mary Ann with the home and family. About a week later, Joseph Smith visited them in their home and dictated a revelation to Brigham during his visit.

Dear and well-beloved brother, Brigham Young, verily thus saith the Lord unto you: My servant Brigham, it is no more required at your hand to leave your family as in times past, for your offering is acceptable to me.

I have seen your labor and toil in journeyings for my name.

I therefore command you to send my word abroad, and take especial care of your family from this time, henceforth and forever. Amen.

Doctrine and Covenants 126

Parental responsibilities are a major theme in the Book of Mormon. Lehi led his family to a new promised land and taught them the gospel. (See 1 Nephi 8, 10; 2 Nephi 1-4.) In the middle of Alma’s sermons to the church we have a record of his private interviews with his sons. (See Alma 36-42.) Moroni recorded two letters his father had written to him. (See Moroni 8-9.) Jacob urged his people to follow the examples of the Lamanites: “Their husbands love their wives, and their wives love their husbands; and their husbands and their wives love their children” (Jacob 3:7). Benjamin instructed parents to teach their children “to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; … to love one another, and to serve one another” (Mosiah 4:15). And as Jesus blessed the children at the temple in Bountiful, He said to the adults, “Behold your little ones” (3 Nephi 17:23).

President Dallin H. Oaks recently spoke about the importance of family, and he gave some practical examples of things parents can do to fulfill their God-given responsibilities. Here are some of those suggestions:

• “Educate children in the basic skills of living, including working in the yard and home.”
• “Camping, sports activities, and other recreation are especially valuable to bond families.”
• “Organize family reunions.”
• “Learning languages is a useful preparation for missionary service and modern life.”
• “Learn as a group and counsel together on all matters of concern to the family and its members.”

President Oaks added, “Some may say, ‘But we have no time for any of that.’ To find time to do what is truly worthwhile, many parents will find that they can turn their family on if they all turn their technologies off” (“The Family-Centered Gospel of Jesus Christ,” October 2025 general conference).

Today, I will put my family first. I will remember that God expects me to prioritize my family responsibilities, and I will find joy in spending time with my wife and children.