Twenty-five years seem like a long time, but the twenty-five years since The Family: A Proclamation to the World came out went by in a flash for me. The world has changed significantly since 1995. Sometimes I don’t even recognize it as the same place. I never would have guessed in 1995 what the world would look like now.

Over the years, certain portions of the proclamation have stuck out to me. Previously, I have used the Family Proclamation as a guideline or model of what the family unit should look like, and what we should strive to be. Not until recently had I paid much attention to the warnings.

We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.

We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.

If this pandemic year has taught us anything, it should have taught us to heed warnings. The calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets are beginning to unfold. Are we watching? As responsible citizens, and/or officers of government, are we finding ways to strengthen the family? I have seen individuals and groups alike trying their hardest to promote family values, but it seems they are in the minority—or maybe the voices on the other side are just so loud their own voices are drowned out. Yet, the last paragraph of the Family Proclamation remains as a call to arms to promote and strengthen the family.

I’ve pondered about what I can do as an individual to promote family values. I’m involved with a group of senior citizens who answer questions for people of all ages who write into the website. I’ve answered quite a few letters now from unmarried women trying to decide what to do about an unwanted pregnancy. The site is not affiliated with the Church, so I can’t teach these women what Heavenly Father wants them to do, but I can teach what I personally believe. I can use my own knowledge of gospel principles, including The Family: A Proclamation to the World to help these women understand the sanctity of life.

I’ve also answered letters from people who are having extramarital affairs. I’ve been able to teach them a better way. With my knowledge of the Family Proclamation, I can teach them about their sacred responsibilities as husbands and wives, mothers and fathers. Sometimes, I can delve into the reasons for these affairs. I can then guide them toward repentance. I can teach them how to forgive, be compassionate, how to work with their spouses toward a common goal, and how to promote wholesome recreational activities in their homes.

Recently, one of our children was struggling with a teenager. She and her husband had tried everything they could think of to reach and help my grandson. Their other child was beginning to mimic the behavior of her older brother. The line in the Family Proclamation, “Extended families should lend support when needed,” came into play. Our grandson came to live with us for just over two months so that we could help him get his head in the right place. At the same time, our daughter and her husband worked with his sister to get her back on track. This was not an easy decision for any of us. I am 65, and my husband was 77 (just turned 78 this month), and we live a quiet and peaceful existence. It was hard work to adjust to having a teenager around again. Frankly, had we known that we would be quarantined and I would be homeschooling, we might not have had the courage to do it.

It was a struggle for our grandson to live with old people whose “entertainment” during the pandemic consisted of decorating graves of family and friends in multiple cemeteries within a 100-mile radius of our home. It wasn’t easy for my daughter and son-in-law to get our granddaughter back on track—nor to subject themselves to the questions and humiliation of having to send a child away. It was not easy for our granddaughter to be without her older brother, nor to have the sole attention of her parents who had a whole new set of rules.

Looking back at that time, it was good for all of us in many ways. We were all tested by that line that extended families should lend support when needed, but I think we passed the test. Did we achieve 100 percent success? No. However, there are two kids who now know that we all loved them enough to do this. They were given an opportunity to change for the better. As adults, we were given a chance to grow. We were given the perfect opportunity to heed the warnings to strengthen the family—our own family.

Heed the warnings. Practice, teach, preach, and live the Family Proclamation. It is our responsibility to strengthen our own families, and to promote strong families everywhere.