Haylie's Baptism

November 18th, 2011

I am so proud of my little Haylie. She has grown up so fast and has been through so much ( health problems etc). But she is so strong willed. I don't think anything can hold her back from doing what she wants. This does not always bode well at home. She is very stubborn and defiant sometimes...things that she needed to work on before getting baptized. In our church, we believe that at the age of 8, a child has learned sufficiently what is right...and what is wrong, and have the ability to choose for themselves which to do.

Well, it turns out Haylie does know right from wrong and was hesitant to get baptised because she knew that once she was baptised a member of our church, she would be accountable for her actions and would need to repent if she should make a wrong choice. This is just one of the conversations we had about preparing to get baptised;

" Mom, I don't want to get baptized"

" why not honey"

" that means I will have to tell the truth all the time" ( something she struggles with)

" yes, It is very important to be honest with everyone. People need to be able to trust you. Heavenly Father will help you to do what is right if you are willing to try and do your best. And you can repent if you make a mistake. He wants you to be happy and not weighed down by wrong choices"

So she did get baptized and this is another conversation we had the day after.

" How was school Haylie"

bursting into tears...." It was the hardest day ever!"

" why honey"

" I've been repenting all day!". ( me secretly finding this a tad bit amusing)

She later told me that she was very aware of how much she told little fibs and that she felt like a horrible person. I told her that it would get easier to do what was right as long as she kept trying. She will be a handful for sure...but she will also be stronger and more faithful because she will learn to overcome temptations.

I love you Haylie!