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Haircuts and Hugs

The Savior said, “Except ye…become as little children, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.” 

So why are we trying so hard to get our children to grow up? From them we can learn much of what manner of men and women we are to be? As illustrated…

I wanted a haircut. So my wife and daughters gathered around on a family Sunday night and all gave their input as to how my hair should look. After the hair was cut I let them teach me how to style it—what was left of it. It was a lot of fun and laughs.

When my haircut was over, my little boy, Adam, hopped up on the chair and asked that his hair be cut exactly like Dad’s. His mother complied and soon his hair was just like mine. Then his sisters did to him just what they had done to me.

Just before we went to bed, Adam overheard me mentioning that I was leaving for work around 6:00 AM. A few minutes later I heard him say he was setting his alarm clock for 6:00 AM also. I asked him why he was getting up two hours early.

“So I can give you a hug before you go to work.”

Little children are holy, not capable of sin. They are whole and alive in Christ, and He adores them. They are by nature what we must all become. 

They are trusting, full of love, and affectionate. They do not tend to have arrogant independent pride. They are quick to forgive and easy to be led. In moments of discipline if I could be as patient with Adam as he always is with me, we would do much better. Perhaps all of us should worry less about making our children like us and try harder to be like them. They would have a lot less “maturity” to unlearn. The more we are like our children the more powerful we are.

The end of my story–the next morning a sleepy and disheveled little boy met me as I was going out the door. He gave me a big hug and said, “I love you, Dad.”

That’s the son I want to be for my Heavenly Father. I want to get up early to be with Him and I want to be just like Him.

Sources:

Matthew 18:3, 16

Doctrine and Covenants 74:7

Moroni 8:10, 12

Mosiah 3:19

3 Nephi 11:37-39