Every Sunday, I study scriptures on temple grounds south of the St. George, Utah temple. There’s a particular tree that I sit under and that is surrounded by various flowers, including snapdragons. Or, at least there was snapdragons.
I have watched families come and go and I’ve seen many little girls notice the snapdragons and rush over to them. I’ve noticed two responses from the mothers. Mothers who let the daughters pick and play with the snapdragons and mothers who do not.
Often times the mothers who let the daughters pick and play with the snapdragons are just as eager to do so themselves. I’ve noticed that these mothers tend to let those daughters run in the grass and play and be happy. They are more in tune with the pleasures and needs of their little ones.
Others refuse to let their young pick the flowers. These mothers are constantly barking orders of not to do this or not to do that. They do not let them run in the grass or play. These mothers seem preoccupied and more stressed out and less in tune with their little ones.
I’ve noticed the first mothers have happier more obedient kids and families while the second is battling with disobedience and have less happy families.
Today all the snapdragons have died. They are nothing but wilted corpses surrounding that old tree. They look sad, as if their lives weren’t complete because nobody picked them. Nobody played with them.
It is as though they too have suffered because of the controlling mothers. And what lives did those mothers have? Did their mothers stop them from learning about snapdragons too?
What joy and what sorrow have I witnessed because of one little plant.
