I completed the article and with a little bit of feeling crackling in my voice, I put down the magazine and looked at my little girl.  She peaked over the top of the laptop monitor at me and said, “I had to do that exact thing this year in middle school.”  I was shocked by both facts that she had to decide whether to sit at the “Popular Table” or not, and that she had been listening.  She then proceded to tell me about her experience of  having to decide whether to sit with the popular girls with bad language and popular clothes, or sit with a group of girls that had her same morals and standards.  She even told me which table was the popular one at her school.  I grinned and felt warm inside knowing that she had made the hard decision and that she knew how to choose good friends.  The story would have been great if it had ended at this point but somehow, it got better.

Out of the next room behind the wall and on the couch came a lower voice that said, “I had to make that decision too”.   It was my 13 year old boy from the living room.  He had been eavesdropping on my reading and wanted to chime in with his version of what had happend to him.  He loves to play sports and all of the popular kids were on his baseball and basketball teams.  He was popular but, year after year these teammates began to change.  Eventually, Andy had to make the decision to leave the “Popular Table” and move to a table with boys with his same standards.

I am so happy to hear that both of my kids have made the hard decision to find friends that have the same standards and values that we have as members of the LDS Church.   It is not an easy choice because the appeal and the pressure from the “Popular Kids” is hard to resist.    I am blessed to have two wonderful kids that have made the tough decisions. These decisions will guide them to a happier and more fulfilling life.

When driving to Burley, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect and my kids definitely had low expectations. I was a little hesitant because it was $10.00 per seat. Yikes! A family of 6, which we are, had to spend $60.00 to get into the theater. Ouch! I wish they had some sort of family discount or something.

As the music started I could tell that our kids were thinking it was going to be two long hours of boring dancing. After the first routine filled with dancers and awesome singers, all of the kids were on the front of their seats with big grins. I could see that they were going to enjoy the show. Each act was exciting and fun to watch. All of the performers looked like they were having a blast and the music was of the highest quality.

By intermission, I was getting a tug at my arm with the request to buy the CD’s they were offering in the foyer. Of course, another 15 to 20 bucks for the CD. So we passed since the tickets were so expensive.

I am so glad that we went. We always want to encourage our kids to be involved in music and dance. The show just gave them a glimpse of what they could do if they followed through with some of their training. I think our kids renewed their commitment to piano, clogging, singing, and dance. I hope they see the potential and look at these great role models up on stage and say, “I want to be just like that guy or girl”.

After the show, one of the performers walked down the isle and stopped at our row. He shook each of our kids hands and asked their names. He genuinely showed interest in our kids and remembered their names as they left. I think that was a special moment in each of their lives. It sure impressed me.

The other great thing about this visit to Burley was that we saw a number of other LDS Families that were there with their kids. I really felt like we were in good company with the families that we saw in attendance. They are all striving to do the same as we were, encourage our kids to be involved in singing and dance. I felt like we were at the right place, at the right time.

We came across a wonderful website that shows all of the different LDS schools that are available. It shows how many students attend the school, the different colleges that are available, tuition costs, admissions standards. It was just great. So, if you have any kids looking at going to college at one of the LDS Colleges, you definitely want to visit this site.  It has information on BYU Provo, BYU Idaho, BYU Hawaii, College Prep, LDS Business College and the Institute of Religion.

http://www.besmart.com/

I thought I would also mention that by doing this little assignment for school, he was able to complete a Duty to God requirement. The requirement is on page 22 of the Teachers DTG program item number 7. It was nice to use one of the School assignments to pass this one off. And, because the website is so cool, it was entertaining.

I loved my treasure box. I probably put more stuff in there than I needed to. I think I had some old post cards in there from some trip I went on. I have pictures of when we went to universal studios and was scared by the Incredible Hulk that ran into the audience. I really should go through my treasure box and pull out the stuff that doesn’t really mean anything to me. Now that I think about it, there is probably a Japanese or Chinese newspaper in there that my Grandpa gave me. I don’t know why he gave it to me, I just remember that it had really funny writing on it. It doesn’t mean much to me except that my Grandpa gave it to me.

Over the years, my treasure box has multiplied. I now have three treasure boxes. When I was over at my Mom’s house the other night, my mom gave me some pictures of me when I was little. She asked me, “Do you still have a Treasure Box?” “Of course I do”, I replied. When I got home, I ran downstairs and plopped my pictures into my box. The box has now matured and grown into a nice tupperware box with a sealed top. My two other boxes are simple boxes with mission stuff from when I served an LDS mission in Cali Colombia and Quito Ecuador. Another box has stuff from when I attended BYU and Utah State. It is always hard to get in and clean it out because all sorts of memories come flooding back to my mind and I end up wasting hours just looking through old pictures.

I guess in the mormon church we talk about keeping a journal, but I think it is also nice to have a box full of your favorite memories and pictures. Maybe I should take out the stuff in my treasure box every once in a while and show it to my kids. Maybe they will learn something from it. Maybe I’ll do it in a Family Home Evening.

It always irritates me that more people do not take the time to look nice when they go to the school to meet their student’s teachers. As much as we don’t want to admit it, first impressions do matter. It really amazes me that people will show up to the open house in ripped jeans, tee shirts, and flip flops. My sister told me one time that whenever she goes to the school, for whatever reason, she always dresses up nice. She noticed that, even thought they shouldn’t, teachers and administrators will treat you differently if you show up in sweats vs. showing up in a suit. I don’t doubt it one minute so I have tried to follow this philosophy ever since.

Last year I wrote this blog post about the subject.