Got girls?
I had my daughter, Rebekah, late in life, after getting married in my 30’s. Now, I have always loved children and still work closely with children in different ministries. When I was young, I wanted to have 100 children and even went to the extent of selecting 100 names (first and middle) in preparation.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I went to seminars and workshops and church functions for YEARS to learn how to be a wonderful wife and mother. I used to lecture my younger sister and brothers, all of whom had children before I did. I would give advice to friends, family, and even unsuspecting strangers. I knew so much about raising kids.
Surprisingly, the equation changes when you throw kids into the mix of knowledge. Suddenly, all the things you learned and maybe even applied at various times to other children just don’t have the same impact when dealing with your own child.
I have been surrounded by girls a lot in my life. I have 6 nieces that I “helped” grow up and have been working with children’s’ groups for over 25 years. And then, I had Rebekah in 2000.
Okay, readers, do any of you have girls? For those of you who do not, have you ever heard the word ‘drama’? You will need to become familiar with drama if you have girls or work with girls.
First of all, drama has to be understood. “Drama” is inclusive of many things: perception, response, translation, conveyance… all of those types of things. There does not necessarily have to be any actual drama included in what is going on; it just automatically becomes a part of everything. You will need to recognize drama to fully appreciate girls and actually in order to survive.
Secondly, when I say ‘drama has to be understood,” I mean that you have to understand that drama is built deep inside of little girls. They are born with it. Things just naturally are a bigger deal to girls than boys. This is understood.
I am a girl. Well, I was for several years (more than 17). But it wasn’t until I had a girl that I recognized the true concept of drama. I mean really, how many men can appreciate listening to the entire repeat of ‘she said this and I said that and then she said that and I said well, okay, and then she said she didn’t like him and so I was like okay then what are you going to do and she said I don’t know because I’m confused and then I was so sad because she was confused and then she decided to just be herself and I was so happy that she felt that way that it made me proud of her but I was really angry with him because he had said that to her.”
So we covered four intense emotions in less than 30 seconds, right? And this little girl (or teenager) felt every one of them when they happened and get this: SHE FELT EACH EMOTION AGAIN IN FULL ASPECT WHILE TELLING YOU THE STORY. So she goes from sad to happy to proud to angry without taking a breath right in front of your very eyes.
Not everyone can follow that. But women can. “Oh honey, you did a great job by being a friend to her” we will say to our little girl. And a man might say, “so… was that good?” which leaves the little girl totally exasperated with Dad/brother/friend and eventually possibly husband.
I can talk about kids and girls all day long. All right, I can just talk about anything all day long. But this is one of my favorite things to talk about. Kids and girls. Some of the hardest belly laughs I’ve ever lived through were over kids, mostly girls. They are so fun and delightful. And bossy and dramatic. And just about every emotion rolls into every day. It is like a roller coaster at Six Flags, except those make me sick and I don’t like them.
In today’s times, children are sometimes rushed along and the natural movement of the stages of womanhood are cut short and maybe even deleted altogether. Unfortunately, this causes immature women who have major battles to face without their full set of equipment. Girls are beautiful artwork formed by the hands of God Himself. Know them, love them, teach them, train them.
I enjoy an online magazine called “The Girlhood Home Companion.” Here’s a quote from their mission statement: ‘The Girlhood encourages young ladies (ages 10-18) to enjoy their precious girlhood years while walking closely with the Lord and developing a deeper relationship with Him. Filled with the wisdom of writers from the past and present, each edition features encouraging articles and stories that center on one character quality per issue. Each theme is explored in-depth through editorials, articles, and stories that will minister to the heart of your daughter, while teaching her the practical skills of homemaking, cooking, crafts, sewing and other girlhood pastimes. There is nothing so lovingly designed with the heart of a Christian girl in mind as The Girlhood Home Companion. Ageless, it continues to inspire daughters, mothers, and grandmothers of all ages.’
You may have already figured out that I try to see the humorous side of everything. Or at least that is how I always try to present it. But sometimes before the humor appears, there are growing pains even as an adult. We still have growth into our senior years and ultimately forever in this life. There will never be a time when there isn’t something more to learn. So, I want this section to be a growing place for girls and women. For girls, teenagers, daughters, housewives, mothers, single parents, women of all walks of life.
“When life moved at a much slower pace, there were distinct periods of development in a girl’s life: babyhood, childhood, girlhood, and womanhood. One thing I firmly believe is that girlhood is a priceless training ground that should not be rushed.”– Mrs. Jill Novak
Let’s grow!
Connie
