Lately, I have had the privilege of reading some wonderful blog posts about a terrible subject. It seems that between our media and the culture of our modern lifestyle, the little girl days are gone. I am not sure that my readers have been enlightened, so I am adding in some food for thought.
Do you remember pigtails? How about making clover chains? Let's see...what about sundresses? When you were little, did you get to play in mom or grandma's jewelry? What about when you were told to do a chore-was it an option to put your hand on your hip and give mommy or daddy a mean look? Not at my house:)
Olivia is big into watching things. She is a quick thinker who picks up on any gadget around the house and she is only 3. We have purposely acquired certain children's favorites as far as DVDs go. There are a few we are not interested in. Thing is, most of those we have that are of the newer generation (not like the Jungle Book:), are in total promotion of arguing, not obeying parents, treating friends like trash, even incorporating lustful imagination, and on and on. As careful as we have been, we still have a few that, when I watch with her, I cringe. Yuck. This is not helping our children!
We teach them one thing on Sunday, and live our lives in constant battle with the living God.
Last week, I saw that it is far worse than I could ever imagine. Even a large chain lingerie store is enticing pre-teen girls. Low waisted underwear, wordage of sexual nature, bras that are decorated to the max, things that a married woman and her husband should only share. So I say to mothers, what shall we do then?
Should we never visit the mall or never watch a movie or never send our child to a class of her peers? Ladies, it may come to this. We must protect the innocence of these children. It is 100% our job as parents to help them guard their hearts from all this sex. There, I said it. All this world-revolves-around-me mantra...
Friday, Olivia refused to clean her room. Saturday was still refusal. She was told to stay in her room until it was clean. She sulked. She played some more. She did not clean. We stayed in the living room, reading and chatting. Finally, on Sunday, I had enough. I brought in the trash bag and said, whatever is not put where it belongs is going in this bag to go into the attic. There was moaning, but the room got cleaned. I gave her chances. I needed to, for my sake. I have been angry with her much lately, and she needs to see a gentle heart. That is very vital to respect down the road. Point is, she got a couple days till the absolute kicked in. What if this had been a tv show? Or a friend at school that somehow already knows how girls can make a boy look at them? Or a sight on the iPad that went too far? Oh my, yes.
Chances for training in obedience have got to stay purely restricted to home. They just have to. If we are in any way allowing the influences (enticing as they are) of this world mold our children, we have got to put our foot down. Get rid of whatever we need to. Otherwise, we are taking precious chances with the very hearts of the ones we have been entrusted to. With the naive part of being a child...its beauty.
Join with me today as I vow to my Creator that with his complete guidance, I will shelter my little girl. Please, oh God, let me hide her eyes from the nastiness of the magazine covers at the store. Help me to remember about the body image problems I have had in my own life, for her sake. Help us, Lord Jesus, keep the pigtails, sundresses and big-eyed wonder in your little girls.
I want to insert a Bible verse here, but sometimes it comes across like a signature. I want you to know, fellow mothers, this is no prideful matter. I won't sign it with Scripture. I would rather you dive into the Holy Word for yourself. See how God speaks to you. I recommend Proverbs. That is where I have been lately and have learned precious nuggets I could not even convey to you if I wanted to. Just murmurings of the Holy Spirit speaking Truth.
One day, our kids will have a decision to make. Will they decide to completely rely on Christ, realizing their human failure? Or, will they jump right into a world so provocative that it lures them to lonely places, where they eventually feel insignificant and have no realization of purpose?
