Essay

The Doctrine of Motherhood

There is a lot of talk today about motherhood.

You may hear things like, “I don’t want to lose myself by becoming a mom,” “I have too much I want to do before I have children,” or “Why should motherhood matter more than education, work, travel, or the other gifts God gave me?” You may want children someday and still feel nervous about what motherhood could ask of your body, time, freedom, and future. Or this subject may hurt because you want to be a mother, but marriage has not come, pregnancy has been difficult, or circumstances outside your control have changed the life you hoped for.

If you are a woman trying to make sense of all of this and follow Jesus Christ, it can be difficult to know what to believe. Why does God place so much emphasis on motherhood? What does motherhood have to do with a woman’s identity? And why would something that requires so much sacrifice be part of His plan?

These are real questions that deserve good answers.

Why Does God Care So Much About Children?

In a culture that often measures success by achievement, independence, or personal fulfillment, Heavenly Father’s emphasis on motherhood can feel difficult to understand.

In the temple, we learn about motherhood in a higher and holier way. The ordinances teach about motherhood, identity, and purpose, helping us understand why this doctrine matters so deeply to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Much of what is taught in the temple about motherhood, fatherhood, and having children is echoed in The Family: A Proclamation to the World. This is why Sheri Dew taught that motherhood is “more than bearing children” and is connected to a woman’s “identity,” “divine stature and nature,” and the gifts Heavenly Father gave her in “Are We Not All Mothers?”.

The proclamation teaches that the creation of mortal life is divinely appointed and that mothers have a particular responsibility to nurture God’s children. Heavenly Father describes His work as bringing to pass the “immortality and eternal life” of His children in Moses 1:39. Mothers participate in that work as they help bring children into mortality and then love, teach, nurture, and prepare them to return to Him.

Who Gets to Do This?

In this short clip, Dr. Jenet Erickson explains why motherhood can be understood as an extraordinary, Godlike privilege:

Her perspective places motherhood inside a larger eternal purpose. Caring for children is connected to Heavenly Father’s work with His sons and daughters and to helping them become who He knows they can become.

Sheri Dew: “Have You Ever Wondered Why Prophets Have Taught the Doctrine of Motherhood?”

That larger view of motherhood is also at the heart of Sheri Dew’s teaching. Sister Dew wrestled with this question herself. In “Are We Not All Mothers?”, she said:

“Have you ever wondered why prophets have taught the doctrine of motherhood—and it is doctrine—again and again? I have. I have thought long and hard about the work of women of God. And I have wrestled with what the doctrine of motherhood means for all of us. This issue has driven me to my knees, to the scriptures, and to the temple—all of which teach an ennobling doctrine regarding our most crucial role as women.”

She then explained why the doctrine matters:

“For Satan has declared war on motherhood. He knows that those who rock the cradle can rock his earthly empire. And he knows that without righteous mothers loving and leading the next generation, the kingdom of God will fail.”

Sister Dew then made an important distinction between motherhood and simply maternity:

“When we understand the magnitude of motherhood, it becomes clear why prophets have been so protective of woman’s most sacred role. While we tend to equate motherhood solely with maternity, in the Lord’s language, the word mother has layers of meaning.”

She pointed to Eve:

“Of all the words they could have chosen to define her role and her essence, both God the Father and Adam called Eve ‘the mother of all living’—and they did so before she ever bore a child. … Motherhood is more than bearing children, though it is certainly that. It is the essence of who we are as women. It defines our very identity, our divine stature and nature, and the unique traits our Father gave us.”

Understanding the doctrine does not mean that every question about motherhood immediately becomes easy. But it does give us a better place from which to consider those questions: not only in terms of what motherhood may require, but in terms of what God is accomplishing through families.

Prophetic Teaching: President Russell M. Nelson on Faith and Families

President Russell M. Nelson has repeatedly taught that family life is not separate from God’s work of salvation and exaltation. In this short clip, he helps place marriage, children, and family relationships within the larger purpose of Heavenly Father’s plan:

President Nelson’s teaching helps explain why motherhood receives such serious attention from prophets. Motherhood belongs within Heavenly Father’s work of bringing His children to earth, helping them grow in faith in Jesus Christ, and preparing families for eternal life.

Why Do the Children Coming to Earth Need Faithful Mothers and Fathers?

That eternal perspective turns our attention toward the children themselves. Motherhood does not mean pretending the work will be easy. But it does mean trusting that the children coming to earth are worth welcoming, teaching, protecting, and helping become the disciples God sent them here to be.

Elder Kim B. Clark taught that each couple has real children who are waiting to come to the earth, and these men and women need to prepare to be their mothers and fathers. They come with divine identity, individual gifts, and eternal purpose. They need parents who will help them know who they are.

That can change the way we think about having children. Instead of only asking, “What kind of world are we bringing children into?” we can also ask, “Who are these children that I get to bring into the world, and what impact will they have for good on the world?”

The restored gospel does not teach that children merely enter our plans. They come with a plan of their own—Heavenly Father’s plan for their growth, agency, covenants, relationships, and eventual return to Him. Mothers and fathers are given a remarkable responsibility to help them along that path.

What Good Research Shows

Doctrine tells us why motherhood matters. Research can help us see dimensions of the mother-child relationship that are easy to overlook.

One fascinating example is fetal microchimerism. During pregnancy, cells can pass between a mother and her developing baby, and some fetal cells can remain in a mother’s body for years or even decades afterward. Researchers continue to study what these cells may mean for maternal health and the remarkable biological connection between mother and child. You can read more in the scientific review “Fetal Microchimerism and Implications for Maternal Health.”

This short clip from The Lizzy Jensen Show reflects on this remarkable connection between mothers and their children:

Research is not the foundation of the doctrine of motherhood—revelation is. But discoveries like these can deepen our appreciation for how remarkably connected a mother and child can become even before birth.

Something to Think About

As you consider what motherhood means in God’s plan, you might ask yourself:

• What fears or assumptions most influence the way I think about motherhood?
• How does my perspective change when I think about the divine identity and eternal purpose of the children who come to earth?
• What would it look like for me to take my questions about motherhood to Heavenly Father through prayer, scripture, and the temple?

Preparing for motherhood does not mean pretending the work will be easy. It means becoming spiritually, emotionally, and practically ready to love. It also means trusting that the children coming to earth are worth welcoming, teaching, protecting, and helping become the disciples God sent them here to be.

What Can You Do This Week?

Ask Heavenly Father to help you understand why motherhood matters in His plan, not simply whether it fits the life you currently imagine for yourself.

Then read or listen to Sheri Dew’s “Are We Not All Mothers?” Notice that she did not avoid difficult questions. She took them to prayer, scripture, and the temple. You can do the same.

Pay attention this week to the messages you hear about children, motherhood, freedom, and success. Think about what those messages assume about sacrifice, happiness, women, and children, and then compare those assumptions with what God has revealed.

And if motherhood is a place of grief for you right now, bring that grief to Christ. Circumstances outside your control do not erase your divine identity or cancel the blessings Heavenly Father has promised to faithful covenant disciples.

Jesus Christ understands both the desires of your heart and the circumstances you cannot change. As you seek Him through prayer, covenant worship, scripture, and the temple, He can help you understand motherhood not merely as something the world evaluates by convenience or accomplishment, but as part of Heavenly Father’s eternal work with His children.