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Editor’s Note: The following was written by Renee Tumolo for the blog laughslikethunder.blog. To read the full post, click here.
Dear Mormon Neighbors,
Having lived in Gilbert for most of my life, we have been visited by many young, passionate, Mormon missionaries throughout the years. Recently they have been offering their help with anything we may need assistance with. These exchanges always include the typical pleasantries where I thank them for their generous offer, and add that, “no, we don’t need help with anything at this time.” After their last visit however, as the young men pedaled away, I realized that I do have a request. A request that has been bubbling beneath the surface, unspoken for quite some time now. A desire that began formulating in my grade school years and has been refined since having children of my own. The next time a Mormon missionary asks if there’s anything they can do for me, I’m going to humbly and vulnerably reply as follows:
- Please teach your children to be inclusive of my non-mormon children and please guide them to carry that inclusion past grade school, into middle school, and throughout high school.
- Please encourage your children to sit with mine in the lunchroom.
- Please permit your kids to invite my kids to their slumber parties, birthday parties, and weekend get togethers even AFTER my child has made it clear that he or she is not interested in attending fireside, seminary, or church with your family.
- Please allow your teen to go with mine to school dances, athletic events, and group dinners trusting that just like you, my husband and I have done the best we know how to raise a teenager who knows right from wrong.
- Please welcome my children into your homes and permit your children to visit ours.
- Please ask your kids to consider how isolating it must be on “Seminary (extra credit) Days” for those kids who do NOT come to school dressed for church.
- Please reflect on the fact that adolescents spend the majority of their waking hours comparing themselves to their peers, so when they recognize that it would never be “acceptable” to date your son or daughter or be your son or daughter’s best friend, it is, at best, damaging to their delicate self-esteem.
To read the full post, click here.
ViolaAugust 15, 2017
As a child, my family lived in an area with a predominant Christian religion other than ours. I was the only LDS student in my elementary school. Several parents in the neighborhood, believing the anti-Mormon trash that has always been readily available, would not allow their children to play with me, or associate with me, even at school. Despite knowing that their attitudes were toward my religion, not me personally, I felt like a bad person, unworthy of those of the other religion. Years of playing by myself or only with the other kids no one liked dramatically affected me. I've spent my life trying to get over the feeling that I'm not as good as anyone else because I'm Mormon. I know the gospel is true and I've been active my whole life, serving a mission and in many callings. However, that feeling of deep-seated unworthiness is hard to eradicate. It breaks my heart to think that church members may do the same thing to someone else's children. I pray that we can be true disciples of Christ and represent his love and inclusiveness to others.
WizardOfOzAugust 14, 2017
Really? Dressing up for Seminary extra credit days....this is why early morning Seminary should be the practice church wide.