Jacob was a good dad

There are a lot of things I enjoy about Jacob, the brother of Nephi, in The Book of Mormon. But perhaps my favorite thing I have learned about Jacob is: he was a good dad.  And I didn't even learn it from reading his teachings.  I learned it from reading about his son, Enos.  Don't worry, this isn't a lengthy post about scripture, but rather some things I've been thinking about parenthood, and childhood for that matter.  But the story of Enos helps me get there.  So stick with me for a minute.  Thanks.

We often read the story of Enos as an example of the power of prayer, the miracle of forgiveness, or an example of perfect faith.  It is all of these things.  But it's also a lesson in parenting, and childing (just made that up, you like it?).  In verse 3 Enos says, "Behold, I went to hunt beasts in the forests; and the words which I had often heard my father speak concerning eternal life, and the joy of the saints, sunk deep into my heart."  This tells me that Jacob talked to Enos about the gospel (and probably a lot of other things) a lot.  It also tells me that Enos didn't get it right away.  Maybe he was a typical(ish) teenage boy who rolled his eyes, or maybe he pretended like he wasn't listening or didn't care.  Maybe it was many years before he showed any signs of internalizing the things his father taught.  Maybe Jacob got frustrated, but he kept teaching (often!).  And when Enos finally did get it, he wasn't sitting at the dinner table with his dad.  He didn't tell his dad, "guess what I just figured out!  Thanks for teaching me all that stuff."  He was by himself, in a place where he could commune with God. 

I wonder how often my parents became frustrated thinking I just wasn't getting what they were trying to teach me.  But let me tell you, I think all of the time about the things my parents taught, and still do teach, me. Whenever I see a pile of stuff at the bottom of the stairs needing to go up, I think of my dad telling me how much easier it is to just take it with me when I go instead of stepping over it 800 times.  And sometimes I even take the pile when I go.  My dad may never believe that.  My mom taught me, mostly though example, that cooking isn't rocket science and yeast isn't going to explode and take over my kitchen.  She never saw the fruit of that labor at home.  There are a million more examples, but I'll spare you.

M is only one and I already worry about what I'm teaching her.  Do I talk to her enough?  Do we read enough books?  How can I teach her to share? (Seriously, if you have any ideas on that one, let me know).  Am I teaching her good eating habits?  Does she even know we're reading scriptures?  Worry, worry, worry.  But, Jacob's experience parenting, and my own experience childing, tell me not to worry so much.  Maybe she won't get it now, but she is getting it.  One day we prayed before dinner and she folded her arms, all by herself.  I was so proud.  

I'm thankful Jacob was a good dad and Enos took the time to write about it.