"Know ye not..."

We went to visit good friends tonight and had a great learning experience... one in which I hope will resonate on my children's hearts for as long as they are in existence.

The weather was quite enjoyable today, though still rather a bit on the cold (jacket-wearing) side. A beautiful spring evening with dry, green grass, blue skies, and a smoldering camp fire is enough to make anyone love the great outdoors where we live. The kids are outside taking every advantage of the mild weather of the day. Out of the corner of my eye I notice Megan and her friend going in and out of the back door. Why do they keep going in and out? I ask myself.

And then I spot Emma, waddling toward the tramp, hand clutching her pants and calling for Kimberly to help take her potty. I instantly volunteer to rush her in to prevent an accident, only to find out that I was too late. So, with bare legs and a pull-up on, I ended up hanging out with Emma inside the house... and Eli, too, of course. Emma was playing hop-skotch in the living room when Kimberly approached me and asks, "Mom, my friend wants to give me a tattoo. Can I have one?"

"Uhhh. I guess so. What are you gonna do with it?"

And then the look came... the duh look, like what else would I do with a tattoo look. "I'm gonna put it on my arm. She has lots of them. Megan has some, too."

"Ohhhhh. Megan has some, too! Like she is wearing some, or just has some?" I asked.

"She's wearing them, Mom. On her arms. That's wear you put them." She tells me matter-of-factly, in her own little simple way.

"Well, what do you think you should do?"

"They're washable, so it's ok, Mom. I'll just put some on and they wash off in the bath tub." She nonchalantly responds.

"Uh, huh." I am listening and thinking, trying to be objective and not too critical. Trying to allow her time to think about her choice, and yet I am forgetting I am talking to Kimberly - my easy-going, whatever you say, whatever goes child. "Honey, what do you think would be the right choice?" Now I know this may not have been the response of choice in the moment, but it was mine.

Without hesitation, she rolls her eyes once and mumbles, disappointingly, under her breath, "My body is a temple and I shouldn't cover it with tattoos."

Wow. Well, gee, that was the right answer. Go, Kimberly. Maybe next time with a little more enthusiasm, please. And yet I watched in her eyes the fact that she was still wrestling with her decision, and so my final response was, "Well, it sounds to me like you know what to do, now you just have to make your choice." And with that... she ran off to find her friends.

An hour later we are driving home and Megan says, "Mom, my friend gave me a bunch of tattoos. She has some real cool ones. Some of them look really real, just like the real ones. But, don't worry, Mom. They're washable, so they can come off."

Bryson, gotta love it - the older big brother and not challenged by this temptation, responds with, "Megan, you know we're not suppose to wear tattoos. Our bodies are temples and Heavenly Father would be sad that you did that. You better wash them off when we get home and repent." (Well, thanks, future father. Put rather bluntly and quite nicely, better than I could say myself.) But, knowing Megan, and knowing how she needs to know this for herself, in order for it to sink down deep inside, I needed more power... I needed the Spirit to testify to her.

The whole car ride home was full of conversation of why we shouldn't wear tattoos and everyone contributed. The lasting justifications were these: It's washable. It's only one time. It's fun. Ahhh, to have a penny for every time someone said this when they were sinning (myself included). It's true... everything is washable (erasable) through the gift of the atonement, but that's not really the point.

I understand that though to many it may seem harmless to put on a few washable, temporary tattoos. Really, what is the harm in that? Let kids be kids, right? Well, I feel differently than most. I am a rule-keeper, or at least I try to be. At what point do you stop allowing them to do things that are contrary to what the gospel teaches, simply because they are little now, or because they are only temporary, and washable?

For example... do you allow your infant or toddler daughter to wear the cute little spaghetti strap sun dress simply because it is cute or way too hot to wear two layers of clothing. (Did you not notice the garments that were layered underneath your clothing with sleeves? Though you may be hot, and they might be too, it is obedience that brings blessings.) At what point, or at what age, do you no longer allow her to wear that attire because it is not modest, and because some day, she will have garments and won't be able to wear those clothes. Why should it be different when she is cute and little? Do you make the change at 4? How about 6? Maybe 8, when she is baptized and accountable? Or what about 10? Perhaps age 12, when she goes to mutual and discovers boys and her sensuality? Where do you draw the line? I believe, if you give her the knowledge from the beginning, you will never have to make that choice later, and hopefully she will have a strong foundation of modesty... it will be a standard engraved in her heart. She won't be able to look back at photos of when she was little and question why it was ok then, and not ok now... even though she still doesn't wear garments. (Those are just some arguments I would like to prevent, if possible, by taking caution now).

So, for the little temporary, washable tattoo. Is it really a big deal? Maybe to some, no. But, to me... it is a small numbing of the senses. It is entertaining the idea of cute, body art (which I must say, can be really cute when it is fresh and new... yet, not so much as time and age breaks down the vibrant colors and details.) But... good is not evil, and evil is not good. I think Satan enjoys watching these little children experimenting with the graffiti on their bodies... (slowly numbing them, slowly boiling the frog in the pot of water). Again, may be silly to some, but to me it is a baby step in the wrong direction.

We get home, rather late, and as I am changing Eli and putting him in his jammies, I hear the water running in the kitchen. The two girls, arms covered in tattoos, are standing on a preschool chair with the kitchen scrubber, washing off their new body art. Then, Megan says to Kimberly, "I better go get some socks on, " as she runs up the stairs to her bedroom.

Once everyone is dressed in jammies, we all meet in the family room for scriptures and prayer. I am no fool... moms know the best of secrets. I am flipping through the scriptures in search of some verses which can address the very topic that is so dominant at the moment. Out of the corner of my eye, Kimberly pulls at Megan's sock. Irritated, and ultimately guilty, Megan speaks up, "Mom, Kimberly won't keep her hands to herself. She's in my bubble."

Kimberly's reply, "Megan, you still have one on your leg."

"I do not!" Megan blurts out. Now this is the part where Mom knows best. Moms can tell when their children are not telling the truth. I knew why Megan, who prefers not to wear socks 90% of the time, ran up to her room to put socks on. I knew why Megan wanted Kimberly out of her bubble. And I knew that Megan was not telling the truth... which always comes with a consequence in our home... a mouth full of soap.

I grab Megan by the hand, who amazingly comes with me without a fight, and escort her to the bathroom, where she sits and waits for "the talk", then "the swish of the soap across the teeth", and then a little more "talk". And as we walked, I said a prayer within my heart that I would say the words that she needed to hear, so that she would know for herself... one, that it is not ok to lie, and two, that tattoo-ing our bodies is not a good choice.

Hours later I cannot recall all of the words that were expressed. They were not words that I would normally use. I didn't think of them. I didn't plan to say them. I didn't rehearse the conversation in my mind before it happened. It happened. We cried together. We felt the Spirit together. Her heart opened and she was ready to receive the message we would study in the scriptures, and the Holy Ghost would bear testimony of truth to her, to me, and to the rest of my children.

With tear-filled eyes, we left the bathroom and joined back up with the rest of the kids in the family room, who were tired and restless at this point. We opened our scriptures to 1 Corinthians 3:16 which reads, 'Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?'

and then 1 Corinthians 6:19 & 20 which reads...
19-'What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20- For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.'

and then Doctrine and Covenants 93:35 which reads...
'...yea, man is the tabernacle of God, even temples; and whatsoever temple is defiled, God shall destroy that temple.'

We talked about how our bodies are not ours (and ye are not your own), God has given them to us to glorify and use to become like Him... to return to Him. The Holy Ghost can only dwell in clean temples, which can be with us if we are worthy of him, if we are making good choices, and if we are seeking truth.

We looked up the word tabernacle (house of worship) and defile (make filthy or corrupt) and destroy (kill or put an end to) and then substituted them in the scripture in D&C 93:35, which now read, '...yea, man is the house of worship of God, even temples; and whatsoever temple is made filthy or corrupt, God shall kill or put an end to that temple.'

It is amazing how a little word substitution helped them to understand the scriptures a little better, and as we discussed what each of the scriptures meant, I could see the light in their eyes shining brighter. Megan's red and tear-stained face was fading slightly and eagerness filled her eyes. I knew that she was soaking in everything that we discussed and that the Spirit was teaching her, not me.

I am grateful for the scriptures. I know that they contain TRUTH, that they testify of the Savior, and that through the study of them, the Spirit has the power to change lives. More than anything, I wanted my children to have a testimony of this gospel principle for themselves, not just because their mom told them so (or even bore testimony of it, though that is great in and of itself). I prayed in my heart that the Spirit would bear witness to their hearts that what we read and discussed was truth, and that through obedience to the principles of the gospel (though small and insignificant they may seem), we can find joy and happiness... and fun! And now I hope they know.