Value: _________________
Lesson 10: Supporting Family Members
“Be one who nurtures and builds. Be one who has an understanding and a forgiving heart, who looks for the best in people. Leave people better than you found them” (Marvin J. Ashton, in Conference Report, Apr. 1992, p. 26; or Ensign, May 1992, p. 20).
•     Who are some of our supporters who we can see? 
•     Who might our unseen supporters be?
Quote 1 from The Family: A Proclamation to the World
•     Can we make a difference in the happiness of our family life?
It is important for us to learn how and when to give support to members of our families. A good way to begin is to become acquainted with what each member of our family does in church, work, school, and at home. We need to be aware of when they face special challenges.
Quote 2 from The Family: A Proclamation to the World
Quote 3 from The Family: A Proclamation to the World
Supporting Your Father
As head of a family, a father is responsible for the family’s spiritual and temporal welfare.
•     What different kinds of responsibilities does your father have in your family?
•     How can you learn what your father’s daily work and Church calling require of him? What can you do to support your father in these important duties?

Supporting Your Mother
•     What kinds of responsibilities do your mothers have in your families?
•     What is your mother’s daily schedule?
•     How much work does her Church calling require? 
•     What can you do to support your mother in her important responsibilities?

Supporting Your Parents
Parents need more than verbal expressions of support from their children. Every family has unique circumstances that add to the responsibilities the parents have.
Supporting Each Brother and Sister
•     Why is it sometimes difficult to express affection and support for your brothers and sisters?
One daughter recalls that her father demonstrated how children can fill each other’s needs within the family. “One time [dad] brought two buckets into the family room—one filled with water, one empty. Then he had each of us think of something that made us upset or frustrated or discouraged that day. For each thing we named, he took a cup of water out of the full bucket. Then he told us that we are like that bucket, and when things happen during the day that disturb us, a cup of self-esteem is taken out. Gradually we get closer and closer to … the bottom [until the bucket is completely empty]. Then he turned to the other bucket. He asked us for suggestions on how we could help a person whose bucket was empty to fill it up again. With each suggestion, he had us step up and dip a cup of water back into the empty bucket. Then dad concluded that home is the place where we come to get our buckets filled, and that we should watch for and be sensitive to others, because we are responsible for helping to fill our brothers’ and sisters’ needs” (Eric G. Stephan and Judith Stephan Smith, What Happy Families Are Doing [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1981], pp. 57–58).
•     What can you do to to build and support your brothers and sisters?

Read Doctrine and Covenants 108:7 Supportive attitudes can be contagious. These attitudes can spread from you to every member of your families, fostering feelings of warmth and unity in the family.
•     How does supporting your family members improve your relationship with Christ?