On the Role of the Older Sibling

Miss Phoebe gave her first talk in Primary yesterday. She was asked to speak about the Savior. Last week I asked for her thoughts about Jesus. "I love him," she said. Why? I asked. "Because he's kind and loving."

That sparked a conversation about being kind and loving in our family. I took the things we talked about and typed them up, added a story about Jesus, and printed it out. I suspect if we had practiced it before the drive to church (which was the first time she heard the whole talk) she would have been able to memorize it. Instead, she did a lovely job repeating it while I whispered in her ear at the mic.

And now, for preservation sake, here is Phoebe's talk.

I have a baby sister named Sophie. She is so cute and I love her a lot. I try hard to keep her safe. She’s little and doesn’t understand what is safe and what is not. I pick up little toys that she might try to put in her mouth and I watch to make sure she doesn’t crawl up our stairs. I want to be a good big sister because I love her.

We all have a big brother who loves us. He wants us to be safe and happy. He knows that we sometimes get hurt or make mistakes. Because he loves us so much, he made it possible for us to repent. That’s a fancy word that means to erase the mistake we’ve made.

Jesus is our older brother. Before he died, he went to a place called the Garden of Gethsemane and said a special prayer. During that prayer he felt all the pain that we’ve ever felt and all the pain that we’ll ever feel in our whole lives. He did that so we would never be alone when we’re hurt. He did that so we can repent and someday live with Heavenly Father again.

Jesus Christ is my Savior and I love him.

I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.