~ by Jenny P.


When my son is eight years old he’ll have a birthday party with his friends. We don’t do friend birthday parties every year, it is too much expense and effort and I enjoy having a family only birthday every other year. For family parties the focus is on the child and their big day, not on the guests.

When my son is eight years old our family will come to visit. We live in the Northeast United States while most of our family lives in the West. We really miss having our family nearby. There are many aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and extended family to miss because my husband and I are both from large families. We keep our family close through email, phone calls, blogging and visits. Not every child gets a visit from Grandma and Grandpas at their birthday though. Turning eight years old is a big deal, so it merits special visits.

When my son is eight years old he will be baptized. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints children are baptized when they reach an age at which they are mentally able to be accountable for their choices. Through prophets we know that that age is eight. It is a rite of passage, as well as a sacred ordinance. After his baptism I will expect a little more from my son. He has had eight years to learn about consequences, sin, and repentance so after his baptism those concepts will be reality for the rest of his life. Not that I will expect him to be perfect, but I expect him to use what he knows.

When my son is eight years old he will receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. This is an important part of becoming baptized. When we are baptized we covenant with God to obey his commandments. It can be difficult to obey the commandments and the Holy Ghost can be with us to remind us of what is right and to help us make good choices. Although we can have the Holy Ghost with us, we must be worthy and receptive to its promptings to continue to have its influence in our life.

When my son is eight years old he will become a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. As a member of the church my son will share membership with wonderful people who have also covenanted to keep the commandments and serve Jesus Christ. In his fellowship with the church he will have opportunities to learn and grow in ways not available anywhere else. My son will be counted as one of the believers.

“Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” 1Tim 4:12

When my son is eight years old I will be so proud of him and amazed at how much he has grown since that first day I held him in my arms. While all of this may seem like a lot to expect from an eight year old, it really isn’t. Because behind every moment of my son’s life lies this truth – That Jesus Christ is his Savior and will help him.