God is the Perfect Example to Look to for Parenting Advice

My father-in-law got me a book for Christmas by Elder Bednar called Increase in Learning and there was something that stood out to me about teaching your children. He says the admonition in D&C is not for parents to teach their children but for them to teach them to understand. To understand does not mean to just mentally comprehend but to feel it in their hearts. He gave an example of how God helps his children to understand. Adam was hiding because he had eaten of the tree of life and was ashamed. God called to Adam, "Where art thou?" God already knew where he was so why ask the question if he already knows. Many parents would say "Adam, get out from under there!" and proceed to give him a lecture. God asked Adam what he was doing. By doing so he was treating him as an agent and inviting him to act. God asks additional questions and Adam begins to respond and then come to understand what he had done. The Father did not ask because He did not know where Adam was but because Adam did not know where Adam was. He gave another example of when Nephi wanted to know what his father had seen in The Dream of the Tree of Life. The Holy Ghost invited him to look. After seeing the vision the Holy Ghost asks him. What did you see? My mom told me that in institute classes now they have time for the students to write down their thoughts and impressions. I served my mission a few years after preach my gospel came out and my mission president challenged us to invite everyone we talked to, on the first time meeting to baptism. We told them that we wanted to give them a goal and set a date for their baptism and over the next few weeks we helped them prepare by coming to know for themselves by the witness of the Holy Ghost that this is the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, that Joseph Smith was a prophet, ect.We gave them scripture passages for them to read on their own and we invited them to pray to receive their own answers on the truth of the things we were teaching them. I firmly believe that everyone of us needs to gain our own witness. It is only through the Holy Ghost that we can come to understand in our hearts the doctrines of the gospel and other truths relating to life. And we can only receive that witness if we act. The principle of faith and how to develop it is mentioned many times in the scriptures and in church meetings. I thought it really wonderful to see it related to one of our most sacred responsibilities and that is raising our children. Just one more quote that Mike shared with me from his personal study that I want to share.
George Albert Smith said "It is our duty-I should say, it is our privilege as well as our duty to take sufficient time to surround our children with safeguards and to so love them and earn their love that they will be glad to listen to our advice and counsel."
I know with a deep understanding in my heart and as I have personally witness in my life, that God will open the windows of heaven and pour out his spirit upon those who seek, ask and act to the understanding in their hearts of His truths and with that understanding become changed more and more like our savior and be able to fulfill all the things we rejoiced, in the spirit world, over the opportunity to do and become in this life. And I want to do my very best to fulfill my sacred responsibility as a parent to raise my children in a home filled with the spirit and love and help my children come to an understanding and gain their own testimonies.