In my mind I often repeat and personalize the words of Nephi at the beginning of the Book of Mormon. “I, [James], having been born of goodly parents.”[1] They remind me of the blessings I enjoy because of my exceptional parents James Wilson and Judith Evelyn McConkie.
As I have more recently considered my parental blessings, the next four words of Nephi’s opening verse have been added to my silent recitation. Those words are “therefore I was taught.”[2]
Why did Nephi feel blessed by “goodly” parents? Because Lehi and Sariah taught him things like where he came from, how to navigate life’s challenges, and the nature of God’s wisdom and love.[3] Nephi’s sense of gratitude for the things his parents shared led him to “make a record of my proceedings in my days.”[4] All this in just the first verse of the Book of Mormon!
Throughout my life, I too have been taught by my parents. When I turned twelve years old, they gave me a new set of scriptures and a few books pertaining to the doctrines of the Restoration and its history. I started to read and, with a little parental invitation and encouragement, I would sit down every Sunday afternoon with one or both of them to discuss and process all that I was consuming and considering. Like Nephi, I learned about where I came from, how to best navigate life’s challenges, and the nature of God’s wisdom and love. I also learned about the history of the Church, how it could enhance my life experience, and strengthen my testimony as a young member. Somehow, we found something of Jesus in every one of our discussions.
Sometimes those Sunday sessions would shift from a study of the gospel to a conversation about friends, jobs, relationships, or school. My parents did a lot of listening. Good teachers often do. But, through all of it, I was learning.
Perhaps even more important than the information I took in was the way in which my parents helped me to understand and internalize what I was learning. Looking back on the experience and seeing it repeat itself in the lives of my own children, the most valuable part of those Sunday study sessions was learning how to understand. In conveying that skill to me and to my siblings, my parents honored the Lord’s invitation in Doctrine and Covenants Section 68:25 that parents “teach [their children] to understand the doctrine,” not just consume it. (Emphasis added.) I realize now that to understand is different than gathering up information. To understand is to become more wise. Wisdom is what God wants for each of His children.
In his first address to the world as the Lord’s presiding apostle and high priest, President Oaks affirmed the family, in whatever configuration we experience it, as a unique and most influential place of learning.[5] He used words like teach, educate, example, together, time, demonstrate, promise, model, love, patience, and unite to describe the many different ways in which a parent might teach and a child might learn.[6] “Latter-day Saints still have” he explained, “a God-given responsibility to teach their children to prepare for our family destiny in eternity (see Doctrine and Covenants 68:25).”[7] He confirmed the Lord’s invitation that parents help their children learn how to understand.
As the flood of information filling our inboxes, phones, computers, and lives continues to grow, I am grateful for the prophetic reminder to help those I love grow in understanding and wisdom.
[1] 1 Nephi 1:1
[2] Id.
[3] See e.g. Id. (Noting that Nephi was taught the “learning of [his] father” (where he came from), something of “affliction” (how to navigate life’s challenges), and “the goodness and mysteries of God” (the nature of God’s wisdom and love).)
[4] Id.
[5] President Dallin H. Oaks, The Family Centered Gospel of Jesus Christ, Liahona (October 2025).
[6] Id.
[7] Id. at at v. 11.