RAISING A STRONG DAUGHTER - WEEK 10 - CHAPTER 9

RAISING A STRONG DAUGHTER IN A TOXIC CULTURE: 11 STEPS TO KEEP HER HAPPY, HEALTHY, AND SAFE by Meg Meeker, M.D.

Well, here it is ladies, the chapter on SEX and SEXUAL IDENTITY. My pages are earmarked from all of the great info we get in this chapter.

I think my biggest take away is the fact that many people think the idea of teenagers and sex is natural, normal, and no big deal, but as Dr. Meeker proved - to the "brain, emotions, and body, sexual activity is a big deal."

We have become a highly sexualized culture, and I for one, as a mom of 4 girls, am a little tired of females being valued for their "sexiness." I'm not talking about looking nice, feeling put together, etc. I'm talking about where they fall on the "hot" meter. My girls are beautiful, but there is so much more to their package than their looks. They are amazing thinkers and analyzers, they have hearts that want to follow Jesus and lead others to do the same. When they meet their husbands, I pray they have someone who cherishes them for all of that, and not someone who discards them as their wrinkles begin to appear and their skin sags.

We have robbed our young girls and teenagers of a life outside of sexuality as a culture. We have forced them to make decisions that should never have to be made and at younger and younger ages. We have made them aware and forced to focus on subjects that are better for times right before the body is starting to wake up sexually. They've been exposed to movies, pornography, crass jokes and talk, honestly, because of adults' lack of self-control many times.

I'm not talking about educating our kids here. I really appreciated how Dr. Meeker talked about having pride in one's body and as a female. Let your daughter know what makes her a female physically. The whole modest movement should be one of love and value for their bodies. A gift that they have that they get to choose whom they will bestow it on - not one of shame of covering up. And THEY SHOULD NEVER FEEL PRESSURED TO GIVE THIS GIFT AWAY.

I could talk about this for years. Instead, I open the floor to you, and leave you with this bit of encouragement- make your home a safe space for your daughters. They're going out into the world everyday dealing with this. Don't make your home part of the war that feeds this. Instead, let it be a place of respite from the storm.