Let them Help
By Steve and Claudia Goodman
Some time ago I attended a girls camp that was absolutely unbelievable. The decorations were ingenious and had obviously required a great deal of time and expense. They were spectacular! Everything about the whole camp followed suit. The activities were extremely well organized and highly creative. The grand finale program was very polished and deeply moving. The stake leaders had worked so diligently over such a long period of time that they had bonded deeply to form lifelong friendships. They worked together to make sure that no detail escaped their notice.
The camp was a phenomenal success – truly a masterpiece of commitment and inspiration. There was only one thing missing: the input of the young women.
Look Up to Our Youth
So often we tend to underestimate the ability of our youth. We want to make everything perfect for them instead of allowing them to experiment and grow. I learned that lesson my very first week as a Young Women president. I was called to serve in a brand new ward where I didn’t know most of the girls. I decided that for mutual the first week I would organize an activity myself that they would all enjoy, since there were no class presidencies called yet. I spent hours organizing a Car Party, where the girls made cars out of banana boxes, decorated them, and ran relays that included a car wash, 4-way stop, and a “drive-in” where we actually watched a movie and ate popcorn. It was such a clever idea, and everything went so smoothly!
There was only one thing missing – the input of the young women. And I quickly noticed that the girls didn’t think it was nearly as much fun as I did. Why? Because I hadn’t even considered their ideas. I hadn’t involved them in any way. I was too busy implementing my own plan. I learned a priceless lesson that night: Let the young women do everything they possibly can. If they invest in the project, they will love it, even if it isn’t as well executed as I could have done. Besides, even if it flops, they will learn from it.
Give Them Wings
When I was growing up my dad often quoted to me, “A great leader is not one who can do the work of ten, but one who can find ten people to do the work.” I wholeheartedly agreed with that concept, but as I acquired more responsibilities, I discovered how difficult it was to trust someone else to do things exactly the way I wanted them done.
I think one reason the Lord gave us twelve children was so I could learn to delegate and let them help. Before our first child was born, I made sure every detail was just the way I wanted it. However, it is absolutely impossible to do everything yourself if you have more than two children. And by the time we had our twelfth, I had learned to almost never do any job myself. I delegated them all and merely supervised – which was in itself a fulltime job.
Sometimes we have to trust our youth enough to let them try their wings. Otherwise they will never learn to fly. One of our daughters wanted to paint her bedroom yellow. It didn’t really match the dcor of the rest of our house, but after considering the matter, we decided she should be allowed to have what she wanted. We helped her paint it yellow, and to our amazement, it looked wonderful! Now it is one of our favorite rooms, because it is so bright and cheery.
Another of our daughters is planning the first reunion for our growing family. Why are we allowing her to plan it instead of us? Frankly, because she has the desire, interest, and time to do it. Experience has taught us that if we give her wings, she will fly. We will stay closely in touch with her, to be sure. But if we allow our children to be part of the planning, they will support the program – and they will learn to stand on their own.
Let Them Fly
On the morning of April 6th, it suddenly occurred to me that it would be very memorable to have a birthday party in my seminary class to celebrate the Savior’s birth and the 75th anniversary of the organization of the Church. There was only one complication: Time! How could I throw a celebration together in ten minutes? Easy! I grabbed a package of balloons from my bedroom drawer and a spool of red curling ribbon from the craft box on my way out the door. When I got to seminary I invited four of the girls who were early to decorate the white boards with colored markers while several other students blew up balloons, tied them with ribbon, and posted them around the room.
I looked around in amazement, realizing that the room was so much more festive than if I had followed my own inclination to dash to the store and buy streamers and crepe paper and a sign that said “Happy Birthday.” The youth had come through again. All they need is an idea and someone to believe in them, and they can soar to unbelievable heights.
Carry On!
It was my last stake youth committee meeting. I was being released after working for several years with the Young Women, and I had very mixed emotions. The main topic of conversation was the upcoming stake youth conference. Several of the adult leaders had presented their ideas. Then I watched in amazement as the youth rose to the occasion and took over the discussion. They voiced their strong feelings that this year they wanted to do a service project. They began by talking to the adults, but very quickly turned to each other, listening to others’ suggestions and making comments. The spirit of love and cooperation was strong as they worked out their program together. The leaders voiced their support as the rising generation took charge of their activity. My heart was filled with gratitude as I realized that this was the perfect way to leave these youth I had grown to love so much. They were indeed soaring and no longer in need of my help, as I watched them rise to the occasion in beauty and splendor.
Shall the youth of Zion falter
In defending truth and right?
.No!
“True to the faith.
We will ever stand.
May we do all in our power to strengthen the rising generation, and then step quietly back and watch as they rise to the full height of their majesty.
.Holding aloft our colors
We march in the glorious dawn
Oh, youth of the noble birthright,
Carry on, carry on, carry on!
