Responsibilities of Parents
Doctrine and Covenants 68:25–28
25 And again, inasmuch as parents have children in Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized, that teach them not to understand the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God, and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, when eight years old, the sin be upon the heads of the parents.
26 For this shall be a law unto the inhabitants of Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized.
27 And their children shall be baptized for the remission of their sins when eight years old, and receive the laying on of the hands.
28 And they shall also teach their children to pray, and to walk uprightly before the Lord.
Elder L. Tom Perry said:
“The Lord has been very specific in His instructions to parents in this day. From the Doctrine and Covenants we read:
“‘And again, inasmuch as parents have children in Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized, that teach them not to understand the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God, and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, when eight years old, the sin be upon the heads of the parents. . . .
“‘And they shall also teach their children to pray, and to walk uprightly before the Lord’ (D&C 68:25, 28). . . .
“The language is direct, and it leaves no room for misunderstanding. The responsibility for training children rests primarily with the parents. . . .
“. . . I would like to echo the counsel that has been given almost from the beginning of time as a voice of warning to parents. If you abdicate your responsibilities of teaching and training your children and then expect some other institution to pick up this responsibility and effect an immediate transformation, you expect what never was and never will be.”
(“Train Up a Child,” Ensign, Nov. 1988, 73–74.)
