“The mother who is a fit teacher for her children must, before their birth, form habits of self-denial and self-control; for she transmits to them her own qualities, her own strong or weak traits of character. The enemy of souls understands this matter much better than do many parents. He will bring temptations upon the mother, knowing that if she does not resist him, he can through her affect her child. The mother’s only hope is in God. She may flee to Him for grace and strength. She will not seek help in vain. He will enable her to transmit to her offspring qualities that will help them to gain success in this life and to win eternal life.” –The Faith I Live By, p. 263
“Children may be trained for the service of sin, or for the service of righteousness. Solomon says, ‘Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.’ This language is positive. The training that Solomon enjoins is to direct, educate, develop. But in order for parents to do this work, they must themselves understand the ‘way’ the child should go. It is impossible for parents to give their children proper training unless they first give themselves to God, learning of the great Teacher the precious lesson of obedience to His will. The mother should feel her need of the Holy Spirit, that she may herself have a genuine experience in submission to the way and will of the Lord. Then, through the grace of Christ, she can be a wise, gentle, loving teacher of her children.” –The Review and Herald, May 10, 1898
“I am thoroughly convinced that to realize a permanent change for the better in the morals of society, the education of the masses must begin with their early lives. The mother must be the first teacher through that stage of life in which the foundation of character is laid. The guidance of the child, in its first years, is almost wholly committed to her. And, as a rule, she has the essential elements to be the best teacher it can possibly have; she has the deep love and sympathy for the child, the earnest desire for his welfare, the skill in his management which no other can possess to so great a degree. If, in her efforts to mold the character of her child, she keeps a firm hold upon God, and seeks by prayer and consecration to follow the divine will, in training the charge He has given to her, she can almost insure for him an honorable and upright future.” –The Health Reformer, November 1, 1877
“The mother should be the teacher, and home the school where every child receives his first lessons; and these lessons should include habits of industry. Mothers, let the little ones play in the open air; let them listen to the songs of the birds and learn the love of God as expressed in His beautiful works. Teach them simple lessons from the book of nature and the things about them; and as their minds expand, lessons from books may be added and firmly fixed in the memory. But let them also learn, even in their earliest years, to be useful. Train them to think that, as members of the household, they are to act an interested, helpful part in sharing the domestic burdens, and to seek healthful exercise in the performance of necessary home duties.” –Child Guidance, p. 301
“The spiritual education of the child begins in the home. The mother, as the first teacher, should teach her children how to pray, by having them repeat a simple prayer after her. The Saviour dwells in the homes of those who teach their children to pray for His blessing to rest upon them. The saving power of the grace of God will be given to such fathers and mothers.” –The Review and Herald, June 23, 1903
“Children should not be long confined within doors, nor should they be required to apply themselves closely to study until a good foundation has been laid for physical development. For the first eight or ten years of a child’s life the field or garden is the best schoolroom, the mother the best teacher, nature the best lesson book. Even when the child is old enough to attend school, his health should be regarded as of greater importance than a knowledge of books. He should be surrounded with the conditions most favorable to both physical and mental growth.” –Child Guidance, p.. 300
“The child Jesus did not receive instruction in the synagogue schools. His mother was His first human teacher. From her lips and from the scrolls of the prophets, He learned of heavenly things. The very words which He Himself had spoken to Moses for Israel He was now taught at His mother’s knee. As He advanced from childhood to youth, He did not seek the schools of the rabbis. He needed not the education to be obtained from such sources; for God was His instructor.” –The Desire of Ages, p. 70
Ellen G. White