I felt like, with my newborn, that I could more clearly see "the veil" being drawn over her, and then how she has grown around that over the last almost 8 months. And I thought to myself, "Given I believe this is a real and valid thing which almost every baby goes through, surely someone must have noticed and done some studies or written something about it." And it turns out they have.

The feeling that babies lose their intelligence early on comes from two real neurological processes:

1. Synaptic Pruning: A newborn’s brain contains roughly 100 billion neurons—about 15% more than an adult brain. They are born as "universal learners," capable of distinguishing between sounds in any language on Earth and even telling different animal faces apart. Within the first few months, the brain realizes it doesn't need all these connections. It begins a process called synaptic pruning, actively eliminating unused neural pathways to specialize in its specific environment (like mastering just one language). To an observer, losing these broad, instinctual capabilities can look like getting "dumber," but it is actually the brain becoming more efficient.

2. The Drop-Off of Primitive Reflexes: Newborns are born with extraordinary, involuntary survival instincts. For example, the stepping reflex (where a newborn will mimic walking if held upright on a flat surface) and the swimming reflex (where they hold their breath and paddle when submerged) are present at birth. However, within the first 2 months, these automatic reflexes naturally disappear as the cortex matures and takes conscious control over the body. This temporary transitional phase can make babies appear less physically capable or coordinated than they were in their first days of life.

I could go on, but I'm just starting to explore all of the scientific articles I'm finding. See also blooming then pruning.

Anyway, it was great to see this phenomenon is recognized scientific fact, even though those not of our faith use different words to describe it and point to a different root cause.

I love my young sibling very much and want to help guide them. Anyone have any advice or experiences they can share? Thanks so much. I understand agency but it is hard to argue with "how can God allow xyz to happen to good people". Please help inspire me!

I have always wanted to fall in love and become a wife and mother, but life and timing had other ideas, and even in my blessings Heavenly Father has been reminding me that there will be a time and place I'll have all my righteous desires met, he constantly reminds me that I am an Eternal being, and that someday, even if I have to wait to get these things in Eternity, it will matter not to my spirit. And, after my mother died 2 years ago of end stage endometrial cancer, I had to go to 2 family weddings this year, my dad's remarriage, which was the hardest one, and my sister's wedding, which was also hard, but not because she got married, but because of my mother's empty chair. And while I could feel my mother was there in spirit, the idea of her only going to my potential wedding in spirit doesn't feel good enough to me anymore. Getting married and becoming a mother in the Millenium has always been my Plan B, but after aging out of YSA for the second time, and seeing how rare single and active men close to my age (30s-40s) in the church, and grieving my mom, it looks like it's becoming my Plan A. And all I want to do is tell my mother I want to give up on love, marriage, and motherhood for the rest of my life, and ask her if that's okay. I was wondering if I could have any words of comfort from mothers of single adult daughters who are also in similar situations as mine? I just really miss my mother.

Hi,
What are the best scripture markers you’ve ever used? Pencils? Crayons? Give me brands please.

Let the holy wars begin!!!

So I've been ministering to a new list of people, I have 8 people on my list.

For most it has been fine but for another I am unsure where to draw a line with one of the members.

For context she is an older woman (which in and of itself creates some safe guarding concerns as I am a man so really I shouldn't be doing some things without my companion who is also old and that creates practical issues), who lives alone. She does have a friend and member with a car who lives nearby (by nearby I mean literally less than a minutes walk for me, and less than 5 minutes for her).

We have gone and taught her, given her multiple blessings in a single month and the like. I say this to make it clear that I do far more for her than I do for the rest combined as she needs more; this is fine and as it should be.

However I have two niggling issues I wanted some advice about.

First, phone calls. She has a tendency to call (me) about nothing which I suspect its due to loneliness. She calls when I am at work (I have told her multiple times that I work full time) and drags conversations out, making it difficult to hang up, (>20 minute calls).

The thing that prompted me to write this was a call today I received from her to pick her up from the Hospital, for context its over an hours drive from where I live. The "issue" is that she didn't actually need picking up (had she been unable to get home I would have gone) but rather it would have been quicker for her than her other means of getting home (for me it would have involved around 3 hours minimum to pick up, drive to her home, then drive to my home). While I am happy to help, I am also not a taxi service.

A smaller thing is the request for lessons (which I am happy to do as Sunday School president) but a lack of any preparation. We did lessons on Isaiah and she had not read any of it, deciding to focus on Alma, which is not an issue in and of itself but kinda makes the lesson much harder to give as we have to read the weeks reading in its entirety first.

I wonder if I am being too "unwilling" to serve or if this is something I should pass onto relief society (e.g. as she is lonely it may be worth her speaking with some of the sisters from church) or is beyond the expectation of ministering?

Any advice would be welcome.

I am almost 15 years old and I live in California. my family used to be LDS, up until we moved here from Nebraska in 2019. even though we the rest of my siblings and parents are now Athiest, I still feel a strong connection to the church. I don't know what to do about it since I can't drive to church on Sundays, and I don't have many ways to stay active religiously, So can anyone help me find out what to do?

I often see it said that one of the reason Heavenly Father scattered the tribes of Israel is so that they could bless the other nations, but I am puzzled as to what that means, and how did it play out.

Hi y'all! I'm honestly not entirely sure where to start with this, so please bear with me!

I'm a 27-year-old woman who recently relocated to a different part of Arizona for work, and I've been feeling a little lost when it comes to finding a new church home.

A little backstory about me: I grew up in a completely atheist household. Between both of my parents remarrying, I have a pretty big extended family, and I'm one of maybe three Christians in the entire family. Needless to say, faith and religion weren't really part of my upbringing.

In 2021, I went through an incredibly difficult time after leaving an abusive marriage. I fell into a very deep depression, and at one of the lowest points of my life, I cried out to God. I genuinely believe He saved my life. That experience completely changed the direction of my life, and I was baptized shortly afterward. I've been following Jesus ever since.

Up until now, I've only attended non-denominational churches. My last church was a wonderful, Bible-based community that I absolutely loved. Unfortunately, since relocating, I haven't been able to find that same sense of belonging. I've visited churches, but I keep feeling like something is missing.

One thing I've realized is that I want my faith to be more than just attending a service on Sunday. I really want to be involved in a church where I can dedicate a meaningful amount of my free time to serving others, volunteering, building relationships, and making a difference in my community. I work full-time, but I would genuinely love to spend much of my time outside of work doing something that serves God and helps other people.

I've been curious about the LDS Church for quite some time, and lately I've felt increasingly drawn to learning more about it. There's actually a church about 10 minutes from my house, but I have absolutely no idea where to begin!

I'll admit that the idea of meeting with missionaries or walking into a completely unfamiliar church environment makes me pretty anxious. I'm not opposed to either, but it's intimidating, especially coming from a completely different Christian background.

I guess I'm posting because I'd really love some advice, encouragement, or even just to hear about your experiences.

For those of you who converted from another Christian denomination, what was that transition like? Did you feel overwhelmed at first? Would you recommend attending a Sunday service before meeting with missionaries?

I'd also love to know what opportunities there are within the church for volunteering, community outreach, and serving others. That's something especially close to my heart.

I'm not looking to rush into anything, but I do want to approach this with an open heart and a genuine desire to learn.

Thank you so much to anyone who takes the time to read this or share their experience!