Mormon Women: Appreciating Motherhood
Tiffany Sowby is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (“Mormon” woman) mother of five. She tries to find humor, joy and contentment in the little things life has to offer.
From as young as I can remember, I wanted nothing more than to grow up and become a mother. I was the youngest child until I was eight years old and finally after years of 
‘playing house’ with baby dolls I was able to put them down and play with a real baby, a baby brother. A couple of years later another baby brother was added. I loved ‘playing house’ with real, live babies! It made my dream of becoming a mother even more real and more personal. I couldn’t wait to one day have a sick child want only me to hold them, or to be cooking in the kitchen and have a baby or toddler cry at my legs to be held, like my brothers did to my mother.
Now five children and thirty or so years later, I have had my fair share of sick children wanting to be held by only me. And I have certainly had more than my fair share of crying toddlers and children crying underfoot while I have attempted to fix a meal. These experiences are far from the dreamy way I envisioned them as a young girl. I can admit I have days I wonder why exactly I chose this path for my life. I can’t help but wonder sometimes how much easier a different career-choice may have been. (more…)
Mormons use the King James translation of the Bible in English-speaking congregations and other translations for other languages. They use both the Old and New Testaments and in a four-year rotation of scripture study in formal classes, the Bible receives two of these years. Adults study the Bible for two years in Sunday School. Teens also study it for two years in Sunday School, but in addition, they study the Bible for two years in a class called Seminary. This is an academic and spiritual class taught five days a week during the school year and is an in-depth study. College students and some adults have a similar college-level study in a program called Institute of Religion. Older children ages eight and up study the Bible for two years and younger children study it every other year. Of course, families and individuals also conduct personal and family study of the Bible.
Have you ever studied sonnets or tried to write one? They have a strict set of rules that have to be followed, and yet there are millions of completely individual sonnets in existence. This is because the form only sets the pattern for the sonnet. The content can be played out in as many different ways as there are writers. While Mormons have a strict framework, that framework leaves open so many variations there is no duplication. If you visit the