Conference Fort

Along with chirping birds, budding trees, blossoming flowers, and Easter, comes General Conference. We all look forward to the time when we can stay in our pjs, sleep late and watch church on t.v. It sounds like a lot of hours (4 sessions 2 hours each) of listening to boring speakers, but it is really the opposite. Each speaker has a unique and inspirational message that he or she has prepared. I enjoy some speakers more than others, but that is usually because their message touched me in a personal way.

My kids love conference as well. Or maybe it is just the opportunity to stay home from church. They always scheme up some way to entertain themselves while making it appear that they are listening. Building a fort in the middle of the living room ranks right up there at the top.

They move all the chairs and blankets they can into the center of the room and somehow tie them all together. Then they fill the inside with extra blankets, pillows and snacks (popcorn is a favorite, and yes one of the messiest). During conference I hear whispers and giggles, yet they assure me that they are listening. I am not sure how much they hear, but when we quiz them about speakers and topics, they somehow manage to come up with some pretty good answers. Perhaps I should make them dress up in their sunday best and sit quietly on the couch taking notes (Some families actually do this). But I am not that good of a parent. It is actually kind of fun to watch them make there plans and execute them. Whether or not they will remember any of the words spoken by our leaders, I don't know. But I am sure that they will remember the good times they had in the middle of the living room during these occasions twice a year.