Work and play
Defined
Work: “Cursed shall be the ground for thy sake’(Moses 4:23) In other words, the hard work of eating bread ‘by the sweat of thy face’ (Moses 4:25) was meant to be a blessing.1
Wholesome recreational activity: Is not idleness or aimless leisure, not just spontaneous, it help to establish family rituals that create bonding experiences, and it needs to be balanced with our obligation to work.1
Working
“Family work links people. It does so by providing endless opportunities to recognize and fill the needs of others.”1
“Our larger culture suggests that family work is mindless. Yet, chores that can be done with a minimum of concentration leave our minds free to focus on one another while we labor. Unlike playing together, which often requires mental as well as physical involvement, sharing an everyday task seems to dissolve feelings of hierarchy, inviting intimate conversation that otherwise might not take place.”1
“Jesus Christ, the source of life, taught that our willingness to perform life-sustaining tasks for one another (not just for ourselves) will actually separate the sheep from the goats at the time of judgment” (Matt. 25:31-33).1
Working with payment or allowance should be a family choice. One reason to give money is for teaching money management. Some people don’t like paying money because the child doesn’t learn that work and service should sometimes be given without expecting anything in return.
Work is rewarding, creates self-worth, pride, is hard, teaches togetherness, and proves that one family member is not above the other when working together.
Teach your children to take care of their possessions by working. If they break or lose something have them pay to replace it.
Work teaches and prepares your children for when they will become adults.
Wholesome recreational activities
“Go on daddy-daughter dates and father and sons’ outings with your children. As a family, go on campouts and picnics, to ball games and recitals, to school programs…Build traditions of family vacations and trips and outings.”1
Why the Church encourages wholesome recreational activities1
1. Recreation contributes to improved physical health and greater spiritual well-being
2. Social events help create a sense of community among Saints who have separated themselves from the world.
3. Persecutions and other hardships create need for an emotional relief from suffering
4. Recreation helps to fellowship converts who come from different cultures
Blessings from participating in wholesome recreational activities1
1. Wholesome recreational activities will occur more frequently
2. Families will have closer relationships
3. Families will have clearer sense of identity
4. Families will develop strong values
Take your spouse and children on date nights. If you can’t meet for dinner then do lunch dates. Rotate through your children so everyone has a chance. Be prepared and do something everyone will enjoy.
Together
“Work is a divine obligation that serves to bless our lives; wholesome recreation enriches life and is not the opposite of work; and wholesome recreation serves a crucial role in rearing moral children and building successful families.”1
1 Dollahite, D. (2000). Strengthening Our Families: An in-depth look at the proclamation of the family. Salt Lake City, UT.
