Adam and Eve, The Archetypal Family

Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it. 

(Proverbs 22:6)

Whatever their imperfections, Adam and Eve and their children were the archetypal family.  1) Before they even left the Garden, Adam and Eve had their first lesson in choices and consequences, which would carry throughout their mortal existence.  God did indeed banish them from the Garden, but not without prior preparation.  2) He instructed Adam to labor daily for food, and taught Eve to expect trial and difficulty in bearing children.   He taught them how to slay animals for food and how to make clothing from the skins. 3) He knew they would face problems and challenges that would require them to think, but that they could survive. 4) He warned them that the Adversary would try to entice them to do wrong, and He taught them how to pray.  Then He sent them on the great journey of life.

The time of origin of Dinner Talk is not known, but it is safe to say that this pattern has stood the test of time.

We ourselves are now on the journey, and our children are at various stages of progression along the way. 1) In their very early childhood we teach them lessons in choices, consequences, and accountability which will be with them throughout their lives.  2) In adolescence they begin to learn the value and necessity of work to provide for their temporal needs.  3) We support them in their efforts to educate themselves and use their minds to solve problems.  4) We warn them of the enticements of wrongdoing, and show by example the protection and power of prayer.

We see that all these are not accomplished in a single event, but in an ongoing process. To “train” is defined as “to direct the growth of”.  To expect performance without giving instruction is as ineffective as nagging, and in fact sets them up for failure. We do our best to provide our children with a dependable compass for their journey.  Dinner hour is the oasis for growing children, at the end of each day’s trials and triumphs.  It is a time to plan for the future, to make righteous moral decisions ahead of time, before faced with temptation. It is a time to return and report.

The inevitable time comes when our children leave the haven we endeavored to provide for them, and make their own way.  We as parents don’t stop learning, either.  We have to learn that we cannot go through our children’s trials for them; they must make their own choices and live with the consequences.  But if, out of our love for them, we have trained them well, we need not fear, they will succeed.

Dinner Talk
1. How are study, prayer, and keeping the commandments a valuable part of training?
2.  What is the benefit of continual training?
3. What is success?
4. What kinds of training prepare for success?

(Chapter 15)